Breaking The Habit
by Vlaatjee
Summary: When the guys crash on Earth, they meet Kiwi instead of Charley. She's just a regular girl, not a wrench jockey, not even a biker girl. So, is she gonna be able to help the guys in their war against the Plutarkians? Will they even let her help? And what's her story?
1. Prologue

I do not own the Biker Mice From Mars.

* * *

 **Prologue**

The sun was burning on her skin. But she didn't care. She needed to keep going. She couldn't go back home. Her empty house, filled with loneliness. The doctor had advised her to take a walk every day for at least one hour. So, she did. She must. She knew what was gonna happen if she didn't.  
She saw a bench standing close by the water and decided to take a little break. No matter how determined she was, it was hot. And she was tired. So, a little break wouldn't hurt anybody. She sat down and stared at the water. The sun reflected on the water, making it look like there were a million diamonds floating close to the surface. It was beautiful, but she didn't feel anything. She didn't care about that much anymore. The only thing she cared about, was wondering why she was alive. Why she was here, on Planet Earth. What was her goal? What was her purpose? What was purpose of life in general? She still didn't had the answers. But she tried to keep going. For her parents. A flash of light high in the sky broke her out of her thoughts. She narrowed her eyes and looked at it. What in the world…?

It was some kind of fireball. Oh shit. A meteor! She needed to get out of here, before she… She stopped herself. Before she got crushed? Did she really care about dying? No. Maybe this was meant to be. That her whole journey eventually leaded her here, to be at this place, at this time. To die. So, she sat down again and watched the huge fireball. It came closer and closer and she could hear the roar of the fire. But she didn't move a muscle. It was a beautiful sight. And she noticed, she felt something now. She was impressed. Spelled by the view. She was staring at it, her heart pounding loud. Suddenly, she saw three black spots flying away from the fireball. That is weird. But she quickly turned her attention back on the meteor, who was coming very close now. But she still didn't move. She closed her eyes, could almost feel the heat from the fire. She was ready. Ready to leave this goddamn world. She embraced death. But suddenly, she felt something around her waist and she flew into the air. Her eyes flew open, but she didn't understand what was going on. Was this how dying felt? She hardly could believe that. She was flying away from the fireball, from her savior.  
"No…", she whispered, stretching a hand. Dammit. She was so close.  
But when the fireball touched the ground, it gave such a big explosion, her eyes grew wide. Wow. She could feel the heat from the fire and the shockwave made her fly even faster. The sound was deafening and left a high tone in her ears. But she couldn't stop staring at it. The bench was gone. Everything around it in a circle of 500 meters was gone. She was also gone. But not the way she had wanted. And only one thought occurred to her. What the fuck did just happen?


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter one**

She sat on the ground, still staring at the burning krater. She wasn't flying anymore. She somehow got back on the ground. She got a aching head, with echo's and buzzing noises. Her hands were shaking. And she couldn't stop stare at the place where she was, just minutes ago. The explosion had alerted other people and she could hear sirens in the distance. A big group of people were standing on a safe distance, talking heatedly with each other. Some of them were taking pictures with their camera, others were just staring in shock. Just like her.  
Slowly, she rose at her feet. She turned around and walked away, still dazed. Without thinking, she walked into 'her' park. She called it her park, because it was almost always deserted. She came here a lot, when she needed to escape her prison of loneliness, when the walls came too close and threatened to crush her. She slowly sat down at 'her' bench and stared at her feet. She suddenly heard the sound of motorcycles coming closer. Anger slowly made his way up. Why in the world would somebody come to this park? Why now, when she needed to be alone more than ever?  
Her head jerked up, her blue eyes fuming. She saw three bikers standing close to her. She narrowed her eyes and looked at them. They were obviously looking back. But she couldn't see their faces, since the visor from their helmet was closed. Talking about the helmets, they had a very odd shape. She hadn't seen helmets like this before, but then again; she wasn't really into the biker world. Her eyes lowered and she saw the bikers were in good shape. But they were wearing really strange clothes. One in white, one in grey and one in brown.

The white one was the smallest of the three and had some kind of bandoliers crossed over his chest. He wore a black jeans with scraped biker boots. A purple bandana tight around his neck and black, fingerless gloves.  
The grey one was huge. Even though he was sitting on his bike, he still made a threatening impression. Her eyes flew over his body and stopped to look at his right arm. Was that metal? Weird… He wore some kind of chest plate and the same jeans as his white companion. But his boots were different. Black with purple. His left hand was also covered in a fingerless glove, but a purple one and there was a bracelet with studs around his wrist.  
The brown one only wore a leather, sleeveless jacket. He had a red bandana tight around his neck and around his right wrist. Around his left hand, another fingerless glove, but made from brown leather. On his right wrist the same bracelet as the grey giant. He wore the same jeans and boots as the smallest one from the group. She saw a tattoo on his right shoulder.  
They were obviously very proud of their muscled body. Well, that was the only reason she could think of to wear clothes like that.  
Their bikes were impressive. The white one on a red, racing bike. The grey one on some kind of purple Fat Boy and the tan one on a Harley Davidson kinda bike. At least, that's what she thought. She had no knowledge of bikes whatsoever.  
She was still sitting on her bench, they were still watching her. She realised she needed to be scared. But she wasn't. What could they do? Kill her? They would do her a favor by that. So, she didn't move and waited till they were gonna drive away. But they didn't. They suddenly stepped of their bikes and walked over to her. The tan one took the word.  
"Are you okay, ma'am?", he asked. His voice was husky and calm. She lifted one eyebrow up.  
"Yeah, why shouldn't I? Look, why don't you just leave me alone?" and she slowly stood up.  
They were huge. Especially the grey one. The white one was indeed the smallest, but now he was standing close to her, he was still two heads bigger than her.  
"Because you gave us the expression earlier you are everything but okay."  
She narrowed her eyes.  
"Why don't you mind your own business, mister. I'm fine."  
"Thanks to us. Talk about no appreciation…", the white one said. His voice was higher than the tan one and sounded offended.  
She suddenly understood something. These three strange bikers had saved her from that flying fireball. She clenched her fists.  
"I never asked to be saved. Now, leave me alone."

The tan one sighed and slowly took off his helmet. She stared at him. What the fuck? She stumbled back and tripped over the bench. She fell on the ground, but didn't stop stare at his face. Holy shit. She had thought before she wasn't scared of anything. But looking at a huge rat, mouse, gerbil, whatever… That was kinda scary. He wore glasses and his ears were twitching. She saw a stud and a earring in his left ear. She now realized why they had different colours. They had a fur. Hair. And a tail, she saw now. The other two also pulled off their helmets. She couldn't stop stare at them.  
The white one was wearing a mask on the right side of his face and had two studs in his left ear. He had ruby red eyes, which where looking back at her suspiciously. The grey one wore a eyepatch over his left eye and she saw he was missing a piece in his right ear. His left ear were decorated with two earrings. His buck teeth was also missing a piece. And they all three had two red antennas on their heads. This was ridiculous. Weird. Beyond weird.  
The tan one raised his hands.  
"No need to be scared of us, we are the good guys", but when he came closer to her, she jumped up and pointed a finger at him.  
"You stay away from me, you… you…"  
"Hey, don't break a nail. We just came to check if you were okay. And to ask if maybe you can help us...", the tan furred creature said.  
"So, I've just been saved by a bunch of… gerbils?", she asked, still kinda processing what was happening right now.  
"Mice, ma'am. We're mice", the tan one said.  
"You were expecting turtles, maybe?", the grey one rumbled. He had a low voice, but it sounded very friendly.  
She stared at them.  
"Mice? With biker clothes? And antennes? And motorcycles?", she snarled, crossing her arms before her chest.  
"Don't forget your basic studly bod", the white one said, smiling arrogant at her. She snorted.  
"I've seen better."  
"Maybe. But not with this much charm."  
She stared at him. Wauw, this guy was cocky, alright. She looked at the tan one.  
"Right. Mice. Where on Earth do you guys come from?"  
"Mars." It was the grey one who answered.  
She thought she maybe heard it wrong.  
"Mars?"  
"Mars", the tan one said.  
"Mars?!", she asked again, thinking she was losing her mind. Maybe that meteor carried some kind of chemical weapon. That would give hallucinations… Oh stop it, you. That fireball wasn't a meteor. It was their spaceship. This was getting weirder by the minute.  
The white one chuckled and put a hand behind his big ear.  
"Is there an echo in here?"  
The grey one laughed too.  
"I don't think she likes our answers."  
She gave them a dirty look. Like this was funny. The tan one saw her looking.  
"Look, it's a long story. I can show you, if you want?"  
She looked at him, confused.  
"Show me? What the fuck are you talking about?", she snapped at him. The white one rolled his eyes.  
"Someone is cranky today…", he said, looking up with a innocent look on his face. The grey one smacked him against the back of his head.  
"Shut up. The last thing we need right now is your smart mouth."  
The white one glared at the huge, grey furred giant with a outraged look on his face.  
"HEY! Innocence! I'm just telling it like it is…", he said, but when the tan furred mouse gave him a warning look, he crossed his arms before his chest and shut his mouth. He must be the leader. The tan furred one looked back at her.  
"Don't mind him, his mouth always works before his brains. Anyway, close your eyes", he said and his antennas starting to glow red. She stared at it, but decided to trust him for now. She closed her eyes and she could feel him coming closer. She could smell his scent, and she had to admit; it was not bad. A combination from leather with a hint of hay. Suddenly, she started to see images before her eyes. She realized she was looking at the planet Mars. Wide, red sanded deserts, green and water. But the images soon changed. She heard his husky voice in her head.  
"You see, our planet was invaded by a race of smelly stinkfaces, called Plutarkians. The Plutarkians wanted our land, right. Seemed they wasted all of their own natural resources, so they go around stripmining the cosmos. They bought up our planet. Tore the place apart and dug up the land to ship it back to Plutark."  
She saw images from weird, walking fishes who were digging and destroying the beautiful desert.  
"Well, the mice population fought back, but most of us were wiped out."  
Images of war, mice fighting back, explosions… Suddenly it stopped. She opened her eyes.  
The tan furred mouse pointed to the grey furred giant.  
"Modo here gave his arm to the cause." She looked at him and he looked back friendly. Then the tan furred mouse pointed at the white one.  
"Vinnie got half his face taken off, that's why he wears the mask."  
Vinnie smiled arrogant.  
"Yeah, but that's okay, because what's left is definitely grade-A mouse material."  
She rolled her eyes and looked back at the tan one.  
"And what about you?", she asked.  
"I lost my eyes. They replaced it with bionic eyes. That's why I have the glasses, without them I'm blind like a cave rat. I'm Throttle", he said friendly and he offered her his hand. She hesitated, but then shook it.  
"I'm Kiwi. Nice to meet you… I guess…", she said slowly. She still didn't know what to think about this.  
"I know this is a lot to take in. But we are crashed here. And our spaceship is toasted. So, we were wondering… Maybe you can help us to find a place where we can crash till we find a way to get back?", Throttle asked.  
Kiwi thought about it. But the only thing she could think of, was the guesthouse in her yard. It was big enough. The house had a garage for the bikes. And maybe it wouldn't be so silent anymore… She shook her head to stop that irritating voice in her head that was there everyday, every hour, every minute.  
"You can stay at my place…", she blurted out. Her cheeks turned red. What in the world what she doing? Well, she was inviting three alien mice from Mars into her house. Perfectly normal, right?  
"Are you sure about that, Kiwi ma'am? We don't want to be in your way…", Modo asked, his head a little crooked. Kiwi stared at him. Ma'am?  
"I eh… Yeah, I'm sure. And you can stay at the guesthouse, so you won't be in the way."  
"Cool. Show us the way, sweetheart", Vinnie cheered and jumped on his bike. Kiwi narrowed her eyes.  
"Don't call me sweetheart!", she said angry. Vinnie looked back with a arrogant smile and winked at her.  
"Sure… sweetheart…" and he laughed out loud. Kiwi glared at him. Throttle quickly intervened.  
"Vincent, can you please shut your mouth for like five minutes?", he demanded and he turned his attention back on Kiwi.  
"Can I offer you a ride?", he asked politely. Kiwi looked at the bike and her hands turned sweaty. She could feel her heartbeat rise and quickly shook her head.  
"NO! Eh, no, thanks. I walk."  
The mice looked at her questionably. She decided she didn't need to explain herself to them, so she put her hands in her pockets and started walking towards her house. The mice followed her on a distance on their bikes.

"Are you sure about this, Throttle?", Modo asked, his voice soft so Kiwi wouldn't hear them.  
Not that she was paying attention to them. She walked with a firm step and by the looks of things, her thoughts miles away.  
"Yeah, there is something really wrong with her", Vinnie added. Throttle sighed.  
"Bro's, what choice do we have? We are crashed on a unknown planet. She is the only one who can help us right now. She seems reliable…"  
"You mean, suicidal maybe?", Vinnie asked, his tail lashing. Modo punched him on the arm.  
"Just like you, right? So, I don't see your problem."  
"Hey! I'm not suicidal. I love myself too much and I'm way too pretty to die. I just like… challenges…", the white furred mouse said, punching Modo back.  
"Okay, bro's, knock it off. Let's give her a chance, okay? She the only one we have right now", Throttle ordered and his bro's grew silent again.

Kiwi wasn't aware of the discussion behind her. The only thing she could think of, was that she invited three alien mice, riding on a bike, coming from the planet Mars, into her house. She shook her head. She really lost it this time. But she couldn't ignore the feeling that she needed them. It was a weird feeling, because why in the world would she need three big, walking and talking mice? She didn't have the answer. But she decided to give them a chance. They were stranded after all, on a planet they weren't familiar with. They were kinda lucky they ran into her, instead of somebody who would had alerted the government. Maybe Area 51 did exist…  
She suddenly realized she was standing in front of her house. She looked behind her and the mice joined her. They looked at the huge building, the big lawn and the fence that surrounded the whole thing.  
Kiwi knew they hadn't expect this at all. But what could she say? Her parents were rich. She opened the gate and they followed her to the garage. The doors slid open automatically and she braced herself for their reactions.  
The mice stared into the big garage and looked at all the bikes that were standing there. It was also a workplace, with a bridge and enough tools to build a whole new bike from scratch.  
"Sweetheart, this is biker heaven!", Vinnie cheered and jumped off his bike to take a closer look. But when he wanted to touch a the bike that was standing close to him, Kiwi suddenly stood next to him and slapped his hand away.  
"You don't touch anything, do you hear me? You can park the bikes here, but that's it. And what did I say about you calling me sweetheart?"  
Her voice was sharp, but shaky. Vinnie looked at her and smiled.  
"Gosh, you are cute when you're bossy. No sweat, sweetheart. I won't touch anything…" and he turned around and whistled.  
Kiwi was still standing on the same spot, her whole body shaking with anger. That mouse… but she forgot what she wanted to say when she saw the red racing bike drove into the garage without anyone sitting on it. Her mouth fell open. What in the…?  
Modo was suddenly standing next to her.  
"Our bikes aren't normal bikes, Kiwi ma'am. They have special technology, called AI."  
Kiwi smiled, she just couldn't help it. And the people on Earth thought they were far with technology. Seems on Mars, they had it all already. But her smile quickly vanished.  
"Okay, come on. I will show you your place", she said shortly and the mice pulled off their helmets and followed her inside. Vinnie whistled between his teeth.  
"Nice place you have here, sweetheart", he said, looking around him. Kiwi clenched her fists, but ignored him. She walked outside through the back door and guided them to the guest house. It was a cute looking house in the back of the huge yard and had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big living room and a kitchen. She quickly showed them around.  
"So, you can stay as long as you need. Feel yourself at home. If you need anything, you can use this phone to call to the house. Okay?", she hastily said, pointing at the vidcom that was hanging on the wall in the kitchen. She desperately needed a long bath to calm her nerves. The mice nodded and she turned around and quickly walked back to the house before they could say anything back. What a fucked up day. What a strange world.

This was heaven. Kiwi sighed and felt her muscles relax in the warm water. She was lying in her huge whirlpool and closed her eyes. She needed this.  
*BANG*  
She jerked upright, the water lapped over the edge on the floor because of her sudden movement. Now what? It sounded like it came out of the garage. She quickly climbed out of the bath and pulled on a bathrobe, without even bothering to dry herself. She ran downstairs, to the garage. When she came in, she froze. There was a giant hole in the garage door and the bikes from the mice were gone. She cursed and popped her head out of the hole to look outside and looked straight into the face of Vinnie.  
"Hey sweetheart! I eh…", he trailed off when he saw the murderous look on her face. Throttle and Modo were standing next to him.  
"What in the world is the meaning of this?", she asked, her voice shaky and raw. The mice looked at her sheepishly.  
"What are you talking about, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, mister innocence himself. Kiwi climbed through the hole and pointed at her garage door.  
"Well, maybe you want to explain why there is a giant hole in my garage door?" Her eyes were fuming. Vinnie's eyes grew big when he saw she was only wearing a bathrobe.  
"Wow, sweetheart, going for a new look?", he smiled appreciatively. Kiwi was about to say something very mean, when Modo interfered.  
"Sorry, Kiwi ma'am. We wanted to take a drive through the city, and out of habit, we whistled for our bikes. But we kinda forgot that you people on this planet use doors…", he said, ashamed. Kiwi stared at him.  
"Eh yeah… Well, that's kinda the meaning with doors, you know? When you want to leave, you open them. After that, you close them...", she finally said.  
Vinnie stared at her.  
"Are you kidding? Where is the fun in that?", he asked with disbelief.  
"You guys don't have doors on Mars?", Kiwi asked tiredly.  
"Well, we have them, but…", Throttle started.  
"We are the Bikermice! And we don't use doors", Vinnie finished proudly.  
Kiwi felt a pounding headache. Oh gosh. These mice clearly had other habits on their planet.  
"Well, here on planet Earth, we do use doors. So, I would appreciate it if you guys USE them. I will let this one fix, but after that; no more holes in my garage doors. Or any door, for fuck sake. Am I clear?"  
The mice nodded, smiling sheepishly. Vinnie recovered himself quickly.  
"Well, I like your new look, sweetheart. Turn around, let me see the back!", he said with a arrogant smile on his face. Kiwi gritted her teeth. Modo and Throttle saw it.  
"Come on, Vinnie. Let's ride", Throttle ordered and jumped on his bike. Modo and Vinnie followed his example, but Vinnie turned around. He opened his mouth, but this time, Kiwi was faster.  
"If I were you, I would just drive away now. For your own good", she threatened. Vinnie smiled and turned around.  
"She likes me. Let's ride, bro's", and he revved his bike. They popped a wheelie and drove away. The fence, Kiwi suddenly realized. She ran after them, screaming that they needed to spare her precious fence, but she stopped death in her tracks when she saw they just jumped over it. With their bikes. She stared at them they they were out of sight. This was getting more interesting by the minute.

"She is crazy about me. I can tell", Vinnie said, while they were driving through the streets. Modo and Throttle rolled their eyes.  
"I think you are confused. By the looks of how she reacts on you, you are driving her crazy. That's just not the same, you know...", Throttle chuckled.  
Vinnie shook his head.  
"Are you crazy? Maybe I'm just too cool, too handsome and… stuff. Makes her nervous."  
Throttle laughed.  
"Yeah. Or maybe it's just your incredible humility."  
"Hmmm… Could be, you know. Could be."  
"Pfew. Boy's got a ego bigger then Mars", Modo sighed.  
They drove to the other side of town. That was a complete other sight to see. The neighborhood where Kiwi lived, was in good shape. But here, the buildings were partly destroyed. The road had many holes in it and some parts were completely gone. Throttle raised his hand.  
"Hold it, bro's. You know, there is something strangely familiar about this place. And it's not exactly a happy memorie. I mean, check it out. Nothing but miles with deep craters and crumbling buildings.."  
The mice looked around them. Throttle was right. It did look familiar. It reminded them of Mars.  
"You don't mean…?", Vinnie started.  
"That's exactly what I mean. Plutarkians", Throttle finished.  
"Oh momma. They are doing the same thing they did on Mars. We can't let that happen, bro's", Modo breathed.  
"No way. Nobody is gonna destroy this planet just like they did to Mars. It's tail whippin time, bro's!", Vinnie cheered, revving his bike. Throttle stopped him.  
"I'm with ya, bro. But we need to find out who is doing this. Maybe Kiwi can tell us more about this."  
"Well, what are we waiting for?", Vinnie asked impatiently. Throttle chuckled.  
"Let's rock…"  
"...AND RIDE!"

* * *

Please review! :)


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! :D Glad you like it!

* * *

 **Chapter two**

Kiwi was busy with cleaning up the mess from the garage door, cursing loudly. She called a mechanic to fix the door, but he didn't have time now and could not come until next week. So, she decided to clean up the mess and leave it till the door could be fixed. She did have three big, strong and macho bodyguards on her property now. She wasn't scared someone was gonna come inside to steal something. Speaking of which...  
She heard three engines approaching and turned around. The mice flew over the fence. Her eyes grew big when she saw Vinnie performing a perfect somersault before landing perfectly on the ground. Was he crazy? They stopped right in front of her with shrieking breaks.  
"AAAOOWW, Vinnie, the velocity atrocity, triumphs again!", Vinnie cheered, pumping his fist in the air.  
Throttle pulled off his helmet and looked at Kiwi.  
"Say there, Kiwi? We went to the other side of town and noticed some… destruction… You happen to know something about that?", he asked.  
Kiwi noticed his serious tone. Why would he care about the ghetto from Chicago?  
"I eh… I don't know… I don't come there that often…", she said slowly.  
"Look, it's really important. We need to know everything you know."  
"Why? Why do you care?"  
"Because our fearless leader over here thinks there are Plutarkians in town. And well… You know. We wouldn't want to let them destroy Earth like they did to Mars... sweetheart", Vinnie added with a mischievous smile.  
Kiwi clenched her fists and marched straight to Vinnie, but Modo suddenly stood right in front of her.  
"He is right. Well, about destroying the city. Is there anything you know? Maybe some small details, details that may not seem important to you…?"  
Kiwi looked up at him. Damn, he was big. She slowly stepped back and thought about it. Suddenly something popped up in her head. She remembered this because she hated the guy. Not that she had met him. But the arrogance he talked with on television, clearly very satisfied with himself… Ugh. And it was all over the news, almost every day.  
"The only thing I know is that there is a businessman in town who wants to renew the old neighborhoods. Everybody worships him, since he is willing to spend a lot of his own money to help the city… But I can hardly imagine that he is a alien, he is doing some good work over here…"  
Even she didn't liked the guy, it really was hard to believe he had bad intentions. Being arrogant and having a ego bigger than this city wasn't a crime. The amazing Lawrence Limburger. He was a hero in this town. Then why was she telling them this?  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"What is his name?"  
"Lawrence Limburger. He has a big skyscraper in the middle of town. Hard to miss. "  
Vinnie closed his visor with a grin.  
"Well, let's pay him a visit then, shall we?"  
"Let's rock…"  
"...AND RIDE!"  
Kiwi was left behind in a cloud of dust. She coughed and shook her head. Oh boy. Did she just help to bring a war to this planet? She sure hoped not. They must be overreacting. Not a strange reaction, giving their history. She was actually kinda curious if she was right. Maybe she needed to follow them. She looked at the garage door and shrugged. Why not? She quickly grabbed her keys and stepped in her car.

Meanwhile, the mice were standing before the big building with the letters LP on it.  
"So, this is where we can find this Lawrence Limburger clown", Vinnie said, checking the building and surrounding  
Modo closed his visor.  
"It's time to pop in for a little visit."  
"Battle mode, bro's", Throttle said, while closing his visor too. "We are gonna rock the walls off this joint."  
They opened the gas and sped straight towards the building.  
"Yoooo, party time!", Vinnie cheered.  
They fired their jets and drove up the walls. But suddenly, lasers came out of the building and fired at them. The mice jumped over them and stopped on the roof.  
"You know, I don't think Limburger is really happy to see us", Vinnie said smiling. Not that he cared. Oh no. The more danger, the better. He turned his head when he heard a noise and ducked when a laser was flying right at him.  
"Uh oh. Company", Throttle said, while turning his bike. "This is making this guy even more suspicious. Spread, bro's", he ordered.  
Vinnie went left and Modo went right.  
Modo's eye was glowing red and he turned his bike. After popping a wheelie, he drove straight towards the buggy which was following him and punched the driver right in the face. The poor guy flew into the air. Modo kissed his metal arm and drove further.  
In the meantime, Throttle had one buggy behind him and one in front of him, hunted by Vinnie. He drove straight towards the one in front of him and at the last moment, he jumped right over the buggy. The one behind him was too late to avoid it, so they crashed into each other.

The mice parked their bikes and pulled off their helmets. The bikes fired ropes.  
"Let's grab him", Throttle said and they jumped through the window below them, using the ropes. The glass shattered and they landed in a big office. They looked around. Tubes filled with water and big aquariums with fish in it. A desk. A fat man. A fat man in a purple suit. A angry, fat man in a purple suit.  
"It's just so hard to find good help these days", Vinnie said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
The man sighed.  
"I know, I know…", and he slapped himself in the face, obviously very disappointed.  
Throttle sniffed and walked closer. Limburger was laughing a little bit nervous, sweat was dripping off his face.  
"Hey. I smell Plutarkian", Throttle said and with his tail, he ripped off the mask.  
A green fish head was under it, smiling ashamed.  
"Ooh… Oh, you could tell?", he said, smelling under his arms. "I must have the air condition repaired at once."  
Suddenly, the elevator opened and a weird looking man walked in. He wore a white lab coat, a green goggles and had some sort or wires coming out of his head.  
"Karbunkle!", Modo growled.  
Karbunkle smiled and rubbed his hands.  
"Yes. Yes, my boy. How very nice of you to remember."  
"Oh I remember, alright. I remember how you took my arm", Modo said, his eye glowing red. He pointed his arm cannon at the head of Karbunkle.  
Karbunkle smiled again.  
"Very interesting invention. And speaking of inventions…" He grabbed a remote out his lab coat and pushed a button. The elevator opened again and a big man came into view, sitting on a bike. When the mice looked closer, they saw it was a robot instead of a man. He wore sunglasses and had the most hideous haircut ever.  
"I have one I really like you to meet; The Exterminator…" Karbunkle gloated.  
The Exterminator pointed his gun at the mice.  
"Hasta la vista, rodents…"  
The mice froze and stared at the big gun. Limburger finally found his voice back and smiled.  
"Well, well. I think it's time to say goodbye to our guests.  
Throttle whistled on his fingers and the sound of heavy engines broke the silence.  
"I gotta tell ya, it's been a treat fella's, but it's time for us to ROCK… and ROLL!" and he jumped out of the window, right on his bike. Vinnie and Modo followed him quickly and they drove down.  
When they drove away from the building, they could hear Limburger yell.  
"Exterminate them!"  
"Kick it, bro's!", Throttle yelled and they jumped over a big hole in the ground. When they landed, a group of goons came out of the hole and put the pursuit, followed by The Exterminator. They opened fire on the mice.  
"You guys take Limburgers goon squad, I handle the big fella", Throttle ordered.  
They split up. Modo pushed a button on his dashboard and two rockets flew out of the back of his bike. They hit the buggy behind him and the goon flew in the air and landed in a trashcan.  
Throttle stopped before a building and turned his bike to face The Exterminator.  
"Come and get me, tin man!", he provoked the evil robot.  
"End of the road, rodent", the robot said and pointed his gun at Throttle.  
Throttle popped a wheelie and drove straight towards him. The Exterminator did the same, but Throttle jumped in the air right before they would crash. The robot didn't expect this and crashed into the building, straight into a big tank of liquid.  
Throttle followed him and The Exterminator looked at him, struggling to get out of the tank.  
"I'll be back", he said.  
"Yeah, well. Don't forget to write", Throttle answered drily.

Meanwhile, Kiwi stopped her car closeby Limburger Plaza and looked at the building. She saw tire prints on the road, so she concluded that the mice had been here. But nowhere to be seen now… She got out of her car and walked closer to the building. It was quiet. So, maybe she was wrong about this guy. Otherwise, she would have noticed something, right? Well, in fact she didn't had a clue how the mice worked, but her instinct told her they didn't play soft. Suddenly, the smell of grease filled her nose. She sniffed and looked behind her, but before she could react, there was a huge hand over her mouth. Another hand grabbed her by the waist and dragged her with him. Oh shit. It was clearly a bad idea to come here…

The mice drove back to Limburger tower, cheering and whooping. But when they came around the corner, they hit the brakes.  
"Hey, biker bunny's! I've got somethings for yous…" a raw voice screamed.  
The mice looked at each other and came closer. They saw a huge, metal pole with four plates to held it on his place. On the plates, big sharp points. And on top of the pole…  
"Kiwi!", Modo yelled, his eye glowing red. They drove closer and saw a huge man standing next to the trap. He was wearing a green dungarees and a red hat. He smiled at the mice and he only had four teeth or so. But the weirdest thing was; he was dripping oil out of every pore from his body. Vinnie wrinkled his nose. The guy was grose, alright.  
"Let her go, oil breath", Throttle ordered, while they stopped in front of him.  
The guy pointed at him.  
"Yous touches me and I will pull this string…" he held up his other hand, to show them the rope he was holding. The rope was attached at the trap.  
"...and your friend wil goes… SNAP."  
"Alright bro's, let's get him", Throttle said, revving his engine.  
Kiwi shook her head, but there was nothing she could do since she was tied up.  
"No… guys…", she said when she saw what they were up to.  
"On three…", Throttle said.  
"Maybe we should think it over before you…", Kiwi said, louder this time. Panic took over her body. She was scared. What were they gonna do? Maybe she wasn't scared of dying, but she had to admit; being crushed between plates with sharp points attached to it wasn't a really nice way to leave this world.  
"Hit it!", Throttle ordered and the mice opened the gas. They drove straight to her. Her eyes grew big. Throttle turned his bike and shot a rope out of the back. It whirled around the oil leaking guy and Throttle yanked the rope. Because of the force, the guy fell face forward on the ground, tied up and completely helpless.  
In the meantime, Modo raised his arm cannon and shot at the trap. It exploded and Kiwi flew into the air. She screamed the lungs out of her body. She felt she was slowly stopping with flying up and started to fall down. She screamed ever louder and closed her eyes when she saw the ground coming closer and closer. But suddenly, she heard a engine roar and she felt two strong arms catching her.  
"Gotcha, sweetheart" Vinnie's voice.  
She opened her eyes and saw she was lying in his arms on his bike. He looked back with a arrogant look on his face.  
"Have I got style, or what?", he grinned.  
But he was driving. And that was when the panic fully took over. Suddenly, it looked like time stood still. She didn't hear anything anymore, only the loud beating from her heartbeat in her head. She could feel her breathing came out in rapid breaths. Her whole body was shaking. She squeezed her eyes and opened her mouth.  
"Get me off this bike, NOW! GET ME OFF! GET ME OFF, GET ME OFF, GET…"  
Vinnie immediately hit the brakes and quickly set her on the ground, like she was on fire. She fell on her knees, still screaming.  
He kneeled down next to her.  
"Wow, wow, wow. Easy sweetheart, you're safe…"  
She heard a strange noise, like a lighter that enlighted. She smelled something burning and suddenly, she could move again. The ropes were gone. She scrambled on her feet and ran away, to her car. She jumped in and drove away with dangerous speed.  
Vinnie didn't follow her. The white furred mouse blinked a few times, but then looked over his shoulder and saw his bro's standing by the oil leaking dude, who was still lying tied up on the ground.  
"Heeeyy, three against one ain't fair!", he yelled childish.  
"Now you listen up, oil breath. You just take a message back to your boss for us", Throttle said with a low voice.  
"What message?", the guy asked.  
"You tell him the Biker Mice From Mars are in town, and the party's over. You got that?", Throttle added with a low and soft voice, pointing at him.  
"Ehhh, yeah. I think so", the guy answered.  
"Good. So, now it's time to go", Modo said, smiling and revving his bike.  
"Oh no…", the guy sighed.  
Throttle grabbed him and whirled him around above his head. He threw him over to Modo, who punched him so hard, the guy flew away.  
"Mister Limburger ain't gonna like thiiiiiiis", they heard. Modo waved.  
"Toodles!"

A dark room. A ice pack on her pounding head. She was fighting the images that popped up in her head. She squeezed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Dammit. What was she thinking? She had been naive. She hadn't exactly believed that there were more aliens on this planet. But she was wrong. Oh boy, she was so wrong. Her body was shaking and she was soaked with sweat. She needed to calm down. But she didn't knew how. Her breathing came out in rapid breaths. Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw herself on Vinnie's bike. The speed he was driven by. Jezus. Oh god. Oh. My. God. Calm down, Kiwi. Calm down.  
She heard footsteps and her heart stopped. Her whole body tensed and she perked her ears. The footsteps were coming closer. She tried to get up, but she couldn't. Her body failed on her. She knew there were three ways of reacting to danger; fight, fright or flight. Unfortunately, her body chose fright this time. She stared at the door and saw the handle slowly going down. With a soft click, the door opened. Light came into her room and she squeezed her eyes against it. Her head was killing her. The door opened further and…  
"Throttle!", she breathed relieved.  
The tan furred mouse looked surprised when he heard her voice. He slowly walked in.  
"Hey. I just came to check if you were alright. Vinnie told me…" but Kiwi held up her hand.  
"I'm fine. I don't know what that loudmouth told you, but he exaggerated. I'm fine", she repeated. Who was she trying to convince?  
Throttle slowly walked closer and sat down on her bed.  
"You are not fine." A fact. Not a question. Kiwi took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.  
"Please, just leave me alone", she said softly. Throttle sighed and looked at her.  
"What is your story, Kiwi? Why are you living in this big house, all alone? Why…", but Kiwi interrupted him.  
"Leave me alone. Now." Her voice was low and cold. Throttle sighed again and stood up.  
"Okay, whatever you want, lady. But know this; if you are ready, you can talk to me." He left the room and closed the door.  
Kiwi let out her breath. Close one. She rolled on her belly and opened the drawer of her bedside table. Her hand grabbed the jar of pills. After a little hesitation she put two of them in her mouth. Failure. But she had no choice. She lay down again and felt how the pills slowly took over her body. Her muscles relaxed. The shaking stopped. Her head became fuzzy. She sighed and closed her eyes. And within two minutes, she was fast asleep.

The next morning, she woke up because of the sound of music. She blinked a few times and listened. Heavy metal was clearly hearable from outside. She sighed and climbed out of bed. The pills had done their job, she was calm again. Too calm. She couldn't fully open her eyes and every movement was going in slow motion. She took a shower and decided to make some breakfast for the guys. But what did they eat? She smiled. Was she stupid? They are mice. So they must like cheese. With a little smile around her lips, she walked into the big kitchen and began with her task.

The mice had discovered the game football on television and decided to play a little game by themselves. With loud music on the background, they were having the time of their lives in the big garden.  
"Down and out!", Throttle yelled.  
He and Modo were following Vinnie, who had the ball. Vinnie suddenly turned around and threw the ball.  
"Heads up!"  
Modo caught the ball, but because of the force of Vinnie's throw, he fell on the ground.  
"Oempff", he breathed.  
He recovered quickly and jumped on his feet. He ran away with the ball under his arm and the other arm in front of him, like he was a professional football player. Vinnie and Throttle followed him. Throttle jumped on Modo's back, but the big guy just ran further.  
"Au, he is on the third, the fourth, the fifth, he's a tank, nothing can stop him, but wait! Wait! Heeeeeere's Vinnieeee!", and Vinnie also jumped on Modo.  
That was too much for the grey furred giant and he flew forward, with Throttle and Vinnie on his back. Unfortunately, right at that moment, Kiwi decided to come outside with breakfast. Her eyes grew big when she saw a bundle of three big, Martian mice flying right at her, but it was too late. They crashed into her and they rolled over the ground. When they finally lay still again, Throttle was lying on the ground with Modo, Vinnie and Kiwi on top of him.  
"Touchdown?", Modo gasped, smiling. Throttle grabbed the ball, which got stuck under him. It was now flat.  
"Hmmm, more like a squash down…"  
The ball let out a squeaking sound when the air left out of the big hole.  
Kiwi was sitting on Vinnie and the white furred mouse pulled off his helmet. He folded his hands under his chin and looked at her.  
"I can make a big play for you, doll", he said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
"Ugh", Kiwi growled, while climbing off his lap.  
She was angry, embarrassed, uncomfortable, but also slightly amused. While standing up, she felt Vinnie's fur under her hand and she noticed it was very soft. The fact she even noticed, made her angry, but also curious. Dammit. She wanted to keep her distance, not letting them get too close at her. But she already found out that wasn't going to be easy. One part of her wanted them close to her. The other part tried to push that away.  
"You just sacked your breakfast", she said, pointing at the mess on the floor.  
"Ah man…", Vinnie pouted, but then he sniffed.  
"Now just wait a darn minute! Is that… cheese?", he asked, his voice low and his nose wrinkled. He looked at Kiwi.  
She looked back, confused.  
"Eh yeah, it is…"  
"Ugh, I hate cheese", Vinnie said and Modo and Throttle agreed.  
"Who do you think we are?", Throttle chuckled. Kiwi shrugged.  
"Mice", she said, like stating the obvious. "Anyway… it's not eatable anymore now…", she added.  
"It never was eatable in the first place, sweetheart", Vinnie said and smiled his most charming smile while swinging an arm around her shoulders.  
"But thanks. For the effort", he said, winking at her.  
Kiwi's cheeks turned red and she quickly made herself loose.  
"I will make something else. Be right back" and she rushed back inside.  
"See? I make her nervous. Told ya. She likes me", Vinnie said with a arrogant smile.  
Throttle and Modo sighed and started to clean up the mess.

"Guys, breakfast is ready!", Kiwi yelled. But even before the last word came out of her mouth, the mice were already inside and sitting at the kitchen table.  
"Wow, that was fast", she mumbled. And they did use the door this time.  
"The only thing I had left were some hot dogs in the freezer. I just hope you like them more than cheese…", she said, while setting a plate on the table. Before she could blink, it was all gone.  
"Oh yeah, this is great. So much better than cheese", Vinnie smiled satisfied and burped. Modo and Throttle agreed.  
"Hate to say it, but you are right. This is the best food I ate in years", Modo said, rubbing his belly.  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes. In years? Hot dogs? Jezus. That was just sad. What did they have to eat on Mars?  
"You guys didn't had good food on Mars?", she asked, but she shook her head.  
"Stupid question. You guys were living in a war."  
Throttle chuckled.  
"There is no such thing as a stupid question. Well, except when your name is Vinnie…"  
"HEY!"  
"But you're right. We ate what we could find, and that was not always… tasteful…" he trailed off.  
"Well, good thing someone on Earth invented the hot dog then, right?", Kiwi said to cheer him up. He looked at her and smiled.  
"So true, so true."  
There was a silence. Modo looked worried at her and sighed.  
"Kiwi ma'am… Are you okay? You know… after what happened yesterday?"  
Kiwi jerked upright and quickly started to clear the mess.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just… startled. I guess… First time to be a hostage, you know..."  
She knew she needed to give them a little bit more details, to show them how she really felt, but she couldn't. Not now.  
"Okay… What were you doing there anyway?", Throttle asked curiously. Kiwi's cheeks turned red.  
"I eh… I… Ehm... ", she stuttered. Dammit. She could feel her ears glowing.  
"Smooth talker, aren't you, sweetheart?", Vinnie snickered while looking at her. But then his face grew serious.  
"But really, why were you there? You could have got hurt…"  
She stared at him. Did he really care or… But when she saw the look on his face, she knew he was serious. And when she saw the faces of Modo and Throttle, she knew for sure they were very serious. They… they actually cared? About her?  
"I eh… I was curious. I didn't really believe this Limburger guy was a alien. So, I decided to follow you, to look for myself… Well, then Greasepit caught me…"  
"Greasepit, huh?", Throttle asked.  
"Yeah, that was the guy's name. He told me. Stupid. But then again, he didn't gave me the impression he knew how to use his brains. If he even has any..."  
"Well, now you know. Limburger is bad news. So, stay away from him, from now on", Throttle said with a strict voice. Kiwi nodded. She totally agreed with him.  
She felt Vinnie looking at her. She looked back and when she saw the look in his eyes, she shook her head. No. Don't start…  
"Why freak out on my bike then? I saved you from being street pizza. And it was such a smooth catch. I must say; I had expected a little bit more appreciation. But instead you…"  
Kiwi stopped him.  
"Shut up. You hear me? I don't wanna talk about it. Not now, not ever!" and she marched outside.  
"Way to go, Vincent. You and your big mouth", Throttle sighed, his hand before his eyes.  
Vinnie looked confused.  
"What? What did I do?"  
"The girl obviously has issues. You just can't ask things like that out of the blue… Why am I explaining this to you anyway?", Throttle added when he saw the look on Vinnie's face. The guy was completely clueless. No surprise there. Vinnie never felt this kinda things. Modo stood up.  
"Let's continue that ball game, bro's", he said smiling, to avoid a fight between his bro's.  
After glaring at each other, his two bro's agreed and they walked back into the yard, with Vinnie bragging about how he was gonna win this time. But Throttle was with his thoughts elsewhere. By a certain girl with blue eyes...

* * *

Please review :)


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews, you guys!  
Youkai55; For now, I will concentrate on this story. Maybe I will continue the other story later on, but no promises.

Okay, you guys. I've decided that it's not the 90's when the mice crash on Earth, but 2018. So, I can use phone's, laptops etc to give Kiwi a role in the fight against the Plutarkians.  
Hope you guys don't mind.

Very well, on with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter three**

Kiwi was sitting on the couch, watching TV. The mice were in the guesthouse, doing whatever alien mice did with their free time. A few days had past in peace. But she had noticed the mice were getting anxious. Especially Vinnie. She had learned in this short time she knew them, the white furred mouse was hyper, cocky as hell, a flirt and one hell of a adrenaline junkie. Throttle was so different. Calm. Wise. A thinker. Other then his white furred companion, he thought things through before he acted. And he was hard to understand. She didn't quite knew what was going through his head. Vinnie on the other hand, was thinking about just three things; food, girls and adrenaline. Oh, and himself. Modo was the gentle and polite one. He was big and looked threatening, but he was just a big teddy bear. Such a small heart. She noticed she was starting to get attached to them. Not just because she wasn't alone anymore, but because they were actually being nice to her. But she still wasn't lowering her walls.  
The news was on on TV and she saw Limburger. She jerked upright. What the hell was that stinkface doing on the news?  
She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.  
"Helloooo, my fellow citizens of Chicago. I'm in charge here and as your new acting mayor, rest assure that I won't let these mistrions go unpunished! My new appointed chief of police is under orders to have them arrested on sight."  
Kiwi stared at the TV. On the background hung a huge banner with three people on it. She looked closer and saw they wore the same clothing as the mice. But she knew it wasn't them. What the hell was going on? New mayor? Arrested? She quickly grabbed her phone and opened the news app.

 _"Mayor Chicago kidnapped by three mysterious bikers. Lawrence Limburger is willing to replace him till he is back."_

Kiwi shook her head and jumped on her feet. This was a setup. She ran to the guesthouse and loud music met her. But when she wanted to walk inside, three bikes revved their engine and blocked her way. Many weapons came out of different holes and aimed at her. Kiwi stopped death in her tracks. Holy shit. She never had seen so many weapons at the same time. How the hell did that fit in just one bike? Great invention. Why was she standing here, being impressed? She needed to talk to the mice.  
"Let me through, I'm on the same side, remember?", she said and tried to walk past the bikes, but Vinnie's red racing bike fired a laser nearby her feet. She jumped into the air and stumbled backwards, her hands before her body.  
"Wow, easy…", she said, but the bikes came closer, beeping loudly.  
"Guys…?", Kiwi yelled, feeling sweat on her back. But the music was so loud, they didn't hear her. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.  
"GUYS!", she screamed as loud as she could. That worked. Three mice heads popped up in the doorway. Kiwi pointed at the bikes, a stuffy expression on her face.  
"Can you please whistle your very aggressive dogs back? NOW!?", she asked with a high voice. Modo and Throttle immediately did what she asked, but of course, Vinnie just stood there, leaning against the dooropenening with a big smile on his face. The bikes of his bro's pulled back, but his bike remained where she was, namely right before Kiwi. Kiwi threw her hands in the air in frustration.  
"Really? Come on!", she yelled in frustration. Vinnie walked closer, but still didn't called his bike back. He gave her a arrogant, almost lazy smile and patted on the side of his bike.  
"It's okay, sweetheart. She is one of us…" and his bike pulled back, loud beeping. Kiwi lowered her hands.  
"There. Was that so hard?", she asked annoyed. God, this mouse was really good in getting on her nerves.  
"A simple 'thank you' would sound so much better… sweetheart", and he winked at her. Throttle and Modo quickly interfered.  
"Vincent, leave the girl alone. Kiwi, you alright?" Throttle gave Vinnie a warning look and then looked at Kiwi with a worried look on his face.  
"I'm fine. Listen, the mayor has been kidnapped…"  
"The mayor's been kidnapped?", Throttle asked urgently. Kiwi gave him the 'that's what I just said' look.  
"Hey, this kinda thing can make me mad!", Modo started.  
"Wait, that's not all. There are video images of three mysterious bikers who kidnap him. Look!", and Kiwi showed the picture on her phone. The mice looked and Vinnie pointed at the screen.  
"Hey! That looks like…"  
"ME!", Modo finished. "Now I'm really mad!"  
"We're being framed. That's Greasepit in a Modo suit", Throttle said, a little bit angry.  
"Yeah, and the worst part is, Limburger is now mayor of Chicago…", Kiwi said slowly. She didn't actually knew how they were gonna react to this.  
"No way!", Vinnie said, turning to look at Throttle.  
"The cheese is now head cheese?" Throttle couldn't believe his oversized ears.  
"That makes me more than just mad. Now, I'm maddest!", Modo growled and his eye glowed red. Kiwi stared at it. Why in the world was his eye glowi… Never mind.  
"Yeah, and Greasepit is now head of the police and has the order to arrest you…"  
"Man, I knew politics was a stinky business, but I would never had thought it would reek like this!", Modo said, pinching his nose.  
"It's no joke, Modo. Limburger is now mayor and he's got the police after you. You guys are in trouble."  
Vinnie whirled a gun around his finger.  
"Not as much trouble as he's in. It's time to whip some tail", and he reloaded the gun with a loud click.  
Kiwi raised her hands.  
"Now just a minute…"  
"For once I agree with Vinnie", Throttle said.  
Kiwi shook her head.  
"Guys, the mayor. Shouldn't you rescue the mayor first?", Kiwi asked tiredly.  
"Time enough for that after we turned Limburger into a rotten cheese omelet", Modo said, jumping on his bike.  
"Let's ROCK…", he yelled with his heavy voice.  
"...and RIDE!", his bro's finished and they drove away with dangerous speed.  
Kiwi shook her head, feeling helpless. She wasn't a fighter. But she did care about people's faith. So, she needed to do something to rescue the mayor. Ugh, who was she kidding? The last time she interfered with all this, she had a major panic attack. Yeah, but that was because of the bike. If she could avoid to ride on a bike, she maybe could do something. She was good with computers after all, and information was gold. She quickly grabbed some stuff, determined to help, and jumped in her car. Time to rock and collect information, Kiwi.

The mice were cruising through the streets. Suddenly, the sound of a siren was heard behind them. Vinnie looked over his shoulder.  
"Uh oh… A cop!"  
Throttle also looked behind them.  
"No, not a real cop. That's Greasepit and his goons. Let's lose them."  
The tan furred mouse popped a wheelie.  
"It's time to ROCK…"  
His bro's popped a wheelie too.  
"... and RIDE!" and they opened the gas. They split up and each got followed.  
They drove to city Hall and each came out another direction. At the crosspoint, they flew into the air and their followers crashed into each other with a loud bang. The siren from the police car made a strange noise and stopped. Greasepit sighed.  
"I hate when they do that…"

Meanwhile, the mice landed on the balcony from city Hall.  
"We're here", Throttle said. He put a finger in the air. "Now, let's play this smooth and subtle. Anybody got a plan?"  
"I say; we blast our way in, smash everything in sight, blow Karbunkle through a wall…", Vinnie suggested, waving wildly with his hands to make his attentions more clear.  
"...and grab Limburger and pound his face till he releases the mayor!", Modo finished, also making gestures with his hands.  
"Hmm… Smooth… Subtle… I like it!", Throttle said with a little smile on his lips, nodding his head.  
They revved their engines.  
"Hit it, bro's!", Throttle yelled and they crashed through the wall into the office. They hit the brakes and stopped in front of the desk.  
"Ah. Good of you to pop in, vermin", Limburger smiled. The mice pulled off their helmets.  
Limburger showed them a piece of paper.  
"As the acting mayor, I just finished ordering your destruction…" and he held up the piece of paper, which clearly was a declaration of death.  
"Dr. Karbunkle, would you please introduce our guests to our newest business associate?"  
Karbunkle laughed evil and took a remote out of his lab coat.  
"Gladly, you thick sliceness. Biker Mice From Mars? Meet… Lectromac!" and he pushed on a button. A light beam aimed at (again) a weird looking man, who was sitting on a small looking plane. He had his arms crossed before his chest and was looking completely bored and nonchalant.  
"Lectromac, why don't you demonstrate your magnetic powers?"  
The mice stepped off their bikes, grabbing their guns. Lectromac raised his hands and a green light came out. It pulled the guns out of the mice their hands and made them fly into the air.  
"Hey!", Modo yelled angry.  
"Very good, Lectromac!", Limburger said smugly. "But don't keep our guest in suspense, just carry on with my first order", he added, pointing at the piece of paper. But then he crumpled it. "Oblitarate them!"

The mice were hanging in the air, completely helpless. Lectromac looked around.  
"Nice office. Let's test the construction, Biker Mice", he said with a tinny voice. He moved his hands and the mice crashed against the wall. But before they could do something, they were already flying to the other side of the room and crashed against the wall again. Then, ceiling, floor, ceiling, floor…  
"Ah yes… Nice and solid", Lectromac smiled. He whirled the mice above his head and crashed them against the wall, hard. The mice moaned and noticed they were stuck with their asses in the wall, Vinnie hanging upside down. They wiggled to get loose.  
"Argh, we got… to get out… of here…", Throttle moaned, trying to escape this uncomfortable position.  
"Alley… oop?", Vinnie suggested, also wiggling. (A/N; not sure if you write it like this, but you guys know what I mean, right?)  
"Got it!", Throttle gasped. Just in time, because the green light grabbed them again and they flew through the air. But this time, they had a plan.  
Throttle grabbed Vinnie's legs and whirled him around.  
"Alley… oop", he said while throwing Vinnie straight to Modo. Vinnie grabbed Modo's legs and did the same. Modo flew straight to Lectromac and Karbunkle.  
"Pardon my fist", he yelled and punched Lectromac full in the face. Because of the force, he fell backwards against Karbunkle and they both crashed against the desk.  
"You mice are mush now!", the villain said and scrambled on his feet.  
The mice were already sitting on their bikes, putting on their helmets.  
"We can't take him here", Throttle said. "I've got a plan. Let's ride!" and they opened the gas. They jumped out of the hole they made when they got in and used the pole of a streetlamp to whirl down. They landed smoothly on their rear tires and drove away.  
Lectromac flew out of the building in his little plane.  
"You are not escaping!" and he started the chase.

At that moment, Kiwi drove around the corner. She saw the mice speeding away from the building, followed by… eh, yeah by what? She stared at them till they were out of side. Okay. She needed to get used to this. If she was gonna live with the mice, these kinda things were gonna be 'just another day at the office'. She parked her car closeby the building and grabbed her computer. She opened her hacking system.  
"Now, let's see what your plans are and where you are hiding the mayor…" she whispered and got to work. After a few minutes, she already found a important looking memo.

' _To the citizens of Chicago._

 _As your acting mayor I have decided in the interest of the public good to proceed with the digging of a new subway system. Unfortunately, the local diamond mart is directly in the way. Therefore, I officially declaring the diamond mart condempted. Demolition will begin immediately.'_

Kiwi gasped. But that's an state building. He can't do that... She sighed. Of course he can. He is the mayor now. Chicago is all his now. Shit. Now what?

Meanwhile, the mice still had their hands full with Lectromac. They were cruising through the city on Throttle's orders, but it was not a easy ride. Lectromac used his magnetic powers to throw things at them.  
When they avoided being crashed by cars and jumped over a streetlight that was lying on their path, Vinnie shook his head.  
"This is tougher than a motocross race during a demolition turby…" but then he grinned.  
"More fun too, hahahaaa!" and they hit the accelerator.  
Modo looked behind him and saw a mailbox coming right at him. He raised his metal arm and smashed the thing away, making the mail flying through the air.  
"How much farther?" the grey furred giant asked while they drove around a corner.  
"Just ahead bro's!", Throttle yelled. "We will give that magnetic monster a taste of his own juice…"  
They drove straight towards a building and crashed through the fence. Lectromac followed them, but his magnetic powers dragged the fence with him. He didn't notice though. He was too busy with trying to get the mice.  
The mice drove inside, parked their bikes, pulled off their helmets and ran further.  
Lectromac stopped at the entrance.  
"End of the powerline, Biker Mice… Time to show you my attractive personality!"  
He raised his hands and the green light lifted a yellow forklift truck. It flew straight towards the mice and crashed with a loud bang, but the mice were quicker this time.  
Lectromac raised his hand again, but the green light started to fly into every direction. He couldn't control it anymore and his plane was rocking in the air.  
"Argh! What's happening?", he yelled frustrated, fighting to get back control.  
"It's working!", Vinnie cheered.  
"All the steel in here is deferring his magnetic powers", Throttle smiled. He ran to a huge case against the wall, filled with metal pipes.  
"He needs more toys", and he raised his fist. "Let's load him up!΅ and he hit the case.  
The pipes flew out and because of the magnetic powers, immediately crashed against Lectromac. He flew out of his plane and fell on the floor. Unfortunately for him, he landed right under a metal container that was hanging on the ceiling. The container was filled with screws. Modo grabbed a chain and threw it to the container. It whirled around the side and Modo pulled. Lectromac looked up, fear on his face. But there was nothing he could do. The screws rained down on him and sticked to him like glue. The fence from outside also flew inside and wrapped around Lectromac and all the steel that was on him.  
Vinnie grabbed two flares and lit them.  
"Time to wrap this baby up", he said and melted the steel. When there was nothing left but a glowing, melted pile of steel, he dropped the flairs.  
"There!", Vinnie said and leaned forward. He planted a kiss on it.  
"Auw!", he yelped. "Hot!"  
Throttle and Modo laughed out loud.  
Vinnie turned to face them, an annoyed look on his face.  
"It's not funny! My lips are a galactic treasure."  
"Would be if you had any", Throttle snickered.  
Modo took place on his bike and shook his head, smiling.  
"Yeah, mice with lips. What's next? Chipmunks that sing?"  
Vinnie revved his bike, still annoyed.  
"Ahh, shut up and ride", he said and they drove away.

When they arrived again at city Hall, they hit the brakes.  
"We got more trouble!", Modo yelled.  
Big machines were busy breaking down the diamond mart. People were running away, screaming loudly. Chaos. Destruction.  
The goons were laughing evilly while they were doing their jobs. Suddenly, a laser hit one of their machines and they heard a whistle. They looked up and saw three silhouettes standing on the top of a building.  
"Hey there!" A husky voice.  
The silhouettes jumped down and stopped right in front of them.  
"You are destroying property...", Throttle said.  
"... and endangering people…", Vinnie continued.  
"... and that makes us mad!", Modo finished.  
Throttle pointed at the goon who was controlling the machine.  
"You wanna rumble? We're ready!"  
Modo cracked his knuckles with a evil smile.  
"Ugh. We're out of here!", the goons yelled and all the machines drove away.  
"Ahhh… They are running away…", Modo said, smiling.  
"It's my Clint Eastwood look. Gets them everytime!", Vinnie said, gritting his teeth.  
Throttle kneeled and grabbed something from the ground. He looked at it with a thoughtful frown on his face.  
"What is it, Throttle?", Vinnie asked, curious as always.  
"Diamonds", their leader said, holding out his hand to show them the pieces. "Limburger's goons were stealing a truck full of diamonds… But why?"  
"One thing is sure, he doesn't need the money…", Vinnie said.  
Modo smiled. "And no way he is getting engaged!"  
Throttle threw the diamonds in the air and catched them again.  
"Yeah, it's a mystery, alright. And I got the feeling we won't like the answer."

"Guys!" they suddenly heard and they turned around. Their eyes grew big when they saw Kiwi running over to them.  
"What are you doing here, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo asked, worried as always.  
"Yeah, I thought…", Throttle started, but Kiwi held up her hand.  
"Listen to me. I hacked into Limburger's computer system, well, actually the mayor's computer system… but hey, details. I've found something you really need to know!"  
Vinnie looked confused.  
"You can do that?", he asked, narrowing his eyes.  
Kiwi was still panting from her sprint and her cheeks were red. But her eyes were clear and Throttle couldn't stop the thought that he had never seen her this alive. She was actually enjoying this?  
"Limburger has a plan with the subway system, that's why he is taking the diamond mart down. And I also found out they are holding the mayor in the old scissor wearhouse."  
"The scissor wearhouse?", Modo repeated.  
"Time to 'cut' through the case…", Vinnie said, his ears twitching and a big smile on his face. The rest shook their head.  
"Honestly… But you guys gotta hurry!", Kiwi said.  
"Thanks for the help, Kiwi… I guess… We will talk about this later. Let's ride, bro's."  
Kiwi followed them with her eyes. She was proud of herself she finally was making a difference. She was finally doing something good. And that was helping the mice with their war. She decided to take the shortcut to the warehouse, to find out if she was right. With shrieking tires, she drove away with a smile on her face.

When the mice arrived at the place, it was dark and quiet.  
"Took you guys long enough."  
The mice whirled around and saw Kiwi leaning nonchalant at her car, her arms crossed before her chest.  
"Kiwi! What the hell are you doing here now?" Throttle couldn't believe his eyes.  
"More to the point; how is it you're faster than us?", Vinnie asked, his eyes narrowed.  
"I took a short cut", Kiwi answered quickly.  
"Ah. That explains. No way you can beat this mamma jammer", Vinnie said proudly.  
"And don't we know it…", Kiwi said, rolling her eyes. "I decided to see for myself if I was right."  
Throttle sighed. This girl was stubborn, alright. Well, now she was here, they couldn't let her wait alone outside. That was too dangerous. And he had the feeling that if he was gonna ask her to leave, she was gonna refuse. He didn't understand a thing about her. Here she was, somehow enjoying this. She wasn't scared of dying, but riding a bike triggered a huge panic attack. She said she didn't know anything about bikes, but her house had a huge garage with the most beautiful bikes and tools. What was her story? He shook his head. Now was not the time. He quickly checked the surrounding.  
"Are you sure this is the place?", he asked.  
"Positive. I've read it myself."  
"Okay, but you are coming with us. It's too dangerous to wait outside. Or even better; go home…" Throttle couldn't help himself. He just had to try. But as expected, Kiwi shook her head.  
"I'm coming with ya."  
Modo walked to a roller shutter.  
"Well, then we just have to let my fingers do the knocking", and he punched a giant hole in the door. Kiwi stared at it. Wow. Cool.  
"Hello? Mister mayor, sir?", the grey fur giant asked, but the only response was his voice echoing in the empty building.  
When they were inside, they slowly walked through the hallway.  
"I don't like the looks of this place…" Throttle's husky voice broke the silence.  
"What looks, I can't see nothing?", Modo asked, a little annoyed that it was so dark inside.  
Kiwi was walking close behind them, but she suddenly stopped and sniffed.  
"Hey! Do you smell…?"  
"Grease?" Throttle answered.  
"Greasepit!", the mice said in unison. They looked around them, but saw nothing.  
Suddenly, Kiwi felt big hands around her arms.  
"Aaaahh!", she screamed. She couldn't stop herself, the sudden movement just scared the shit out of her. And then it dawned on her. She was the hostage. Again…  
The mice whirled around and saw that they were surrounded. Goons with guns pointing at them and Greasepit holding Kiwi, who was struggling to get loose.  
"That's police chief Greasepit for yous, Biker mice…"  
The click of guns was heard and Greasepit smiled.  
"Oh, and by the way… yous is under arrest…"

The mice raised their hands. Throttle took the word.  
"Alright, Greasepit, here's the deal. You let the lady go, and we surrender."  
Greasepit thought about it.  
"Okay, sure. Deal!"  
Vinnie shook his head and leaned forward to Throttle.  
"I wouldn't trust this oil spill as far as I can flush him", he whispered agitated in Throttle's ear.  
"Like we got a choice…", his bro answered shortly. Vinnie sighed. He hated it when this happened.  
"You're catching on, buck tooth brain", Greasepit said and pointed at them. "Yous don't! Cuff 'em!"  
The goons did what them was told and before they even realized it, the mice their hands were cuffed. Modo tried to break the chain in anger, but it was no use.  
"Alright, oil breath. You got us…", Throttle said annoyed.  
"So let the girl go…", Vinnie continued, also annoyed.  
"Now…", Modo finished, his voice even lower than normal and his eye glowing red.  
Greasepit looked offended.  
"Hey! You know, I don't like your attitude… I think I'll just chance my mouth… ehhhh, I mean mind! Boys! Give the pretty lady a nice set of bracelets", he ordered and the goons grabbed Kiwi. She tried to run away, but the goons were too strong. Shit. Another damsel in distress situation. Ugh.  
"Well, seems his promise just leaked out his greasy little mind, boys…", Throttle said smiling.  
"Guess we'll just have to remind him", Modo answered.  
"Politely off course. How about no hands manoeuvre number five?"  
"Ahhh, can we do number three instead? I look so cool in that one!", Vinnie asked, pointing at himself.  
Throttle sighed.  
"Number five, Vincent… NOW!"  
They each ran into another direction.  
"Yeah! My favorite story, a tail of two turkeys!" Vinnie cheered while running. His tail slapped two goons right in the face and they fell on the ground because of the mean slap.  
Throttle had one goon on his back and his hands grabbed his head.  
"Get off my back, you wrenchhead!" and he dragged him off his back and threw him on the ground, like the guy was not heavy at all. The tan furred mouse patted his hands, smiling when he saw the goon didn't stand up.  
Modo was having his cuffed hands full with three other goons. One on each side and one behind him. They grabbed him, but Modo whirled around.  
"Goons like you make me wanna whirl!" and the three guys flew away. They crashed against a wall, but jumped at their feet again and grabbed their guns. But a laser blasted the guns out of their hands before they were able to use them.  
Modo was aiming his arm cannon at them.  
"Didn't your momma's never learned you boys not to play with pop guns?" he asked, blowing away the smoke from his cannon. Then, he gritted his teeth and pointed at the three goons.  
"You might get hurt. You know what I mean?"  
The goons smiled nervous and decided they were not gonna win this. They turned around and ran away. Modo smiled.  
"Wise…"  
(A/N; God, I love that part hehehe!)

Kiwi was first looking at them fighting, her mouth wide open. Wow. She was impressed. They sure were good. But then she realized that oil leaking goon was still holding her. She tried to get loose, but no matter how dumb the guy was, he still was very strong.  
"Now I'm gonna be real polite and ask you again, oil breath. Let the lady GO!"  
Throttle's voice. They both turned around and Kiwi saw the mice standing close by and they were not amused.  
"N-no way, not a chance, rodent", Greasepit said, but a little unsure this time. Kiwi saw Vinnie grabbing something from his bandoliers with a mischievous smile on his face. Oh boy.  
"Vinnie. NOW!", Throttle ordered and Vinnie threw the object, still with that smile on his face.  
Both Greasepit and Kiwi ducked and the object flew over their heads.  
"Missed me, moussie", Greasepit gloated, but Kiwi looked behind her.  
"Well, someday you catch the mouse...", Vinnie said arrogant. The flair lit and fired at a chain that was attached on the wall. There was a hook on the chain that grabbed Greasepit by his dungarees.  
"And some days the mouse, catches YOU!", Vinnie cheered, while Greasepit swung through the air and slammed against a wall. He slid down, clearly unconscious.  
"Good brakes!", Vinnie laughed.  
Kiwi stared at all this and started laughing. Oh my god, that was priceless.  
The mice looked at her.  
"Okay, you're outta here, Kiwi. Now."  
Kiwi stopped laughing.  
"Not without you guys, I'm not!", she said.  
"Hey listen, just because Greasepit goes back in his deal, that doesn't mean we do, babe, he is still the law."  
Kiwi wanted to protest, but Modo gently grabbed her arm and escorted her outside. His bro's followed them.  
Outside, Vinnie whistled on his fingers.  
"Let's get our bikes to safety before this greaseball wakes up. Follow Kiwi in her car", he ordered and the bikes revved their engines. Kiwi hesitated.  
"We'll be fine, just go!", Throttle said and Kiwi decided to obey. She ran to her car and drove away, followed by the bikes.  
She drove straight home and the bikes parked themselves at the guesthouse. Holy shit. That was… awesome! Kiwi smiled, but then worry took over. The mice. They were stuck. She needed a lawyer. But what lawyer was gonna defend three alien mice? She needed a plan. And fast…

A few hours later, she threw her hands in the air in frustration. She had searched the whole internet, but still no plan. Dammit. Suddenly, her eyes fell on something. Some vague news item about a old factory just outside town. She opened it and saw it was the type of item you normally wouldn't take that serious. But since she had three alien mice living in her guesthouse and knew that another alien was trying to take over the planet, she wasn't that sceptical anymore. According to this journalist, something was happening in the old factory. Something in secret. They were building something. And after that, the whole item was about the government hiding things and complot theories. Kiwi closed the item and sighed. It must be Limburger. It has to be. She grabbed her keys and walked determined to her car. She needed to get the mice out, as soon as possible. Time to go to the courtroom and after that… well, time to improvise. She whistled at the bikes, not really sure if they were gonna listen to her, but they did. So, she drove away, followed by three bikes without a driver. She giggled. This was getting weirder by the day.  
Kiwi parked the car and ran inside. She looked around her and found the right room.  
"Guys! I came as fast as I could, but I'm still trying to find a lawyer…", she began, but the judge interrupted her.  
"L-lawyer? NO! No more lawyers! Please… They are free to go! And as soon as possible...", he quickly said, wiping off his head. Kiwi stared at him. Okay… She saw Throttle had the key and just opened Vinnie's cuffs before he did his own. Modo just broke the chain, but since he wasn't a fan of bracelets, he took the key from Throttle and opened them. Kiwi didn't understand what was going on here. They were free to go? How in the world…  
But before she could ask something, she saw Greasepit. And he was not amused.  
"Free to go, huh?", he said, while climbing over the little fence before the judge and standing before the mice.  
"That's what yous think, I just has to arrests yous again… HARDER this time", and he slammed his fist in his hand. Oil splattered around.  
"You have to catch us first, grease dumb", Throttle said.  
"And we're not sticking around…", Vinnie smiled arrogant and he ran towards Greasepit, along with Throttle.  
"But you are!" and they both cuffed him at the fence.  
"HEY! Get these things off of me! Blast you blasted Biker Mice!"  
But the mice and Kiwi were already gone. Outside, Kiwi made them stop.  
"Listen, whatever Limburger is up to, it's gonna happen soon. I found out somebody is building something in a old factory just outside town. It must be him…"  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Hmmmm. I don't know what it is…"  
"But if Limburger's part of it…", Vinnie continued.  
"Then you know it's gonna stink", Modo finished.  
Kiwi smiled. It was so cute and also very cool at the same time that they finished each others sentences.

The bro's jumped on their bikes. Kiwi was in fight with herself if she would come with them, but Throttle made the decision this time.  
"You go home, Kiwi. It's not safe for you."  
"Yeah, sweetheart. This is stupid macho mouse stuff. We can handle this", Vinnie said, flexing his muscles.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but decided to listen.  
"Fine. Good luck guys… and please…", she trailed off. The mice waited patiently.  
"Be careful... ", she whispered, a little embarrassed.  
"We always are, Kiwi ma'am", Modo said.  
"Why? Gonna miss me if I don't come back?", Vinnie asked, wiggling his eyebrows.  
But before Kiwi could respond, Throttle revved his engine.

"Come on, bro's. It's time to ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

* * *

Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for the reviews, I really need them, so, thanks!

* * *

 **Chapter four**

When the mice arrived at the factory, they stepped off their bikes. Modo aimed his cannon and used his laser to burn a hole in the wall and they looked inside. A huge machine with a big drill at the front was the first thing they saw. Karbunkle and Limburger were standing next to it. And there was the mayor, tied up. Next to him, a rat. Modo's eye started to glow red again.  
Karbunkle klapped in his hands, looking very excited.  
"This is it, you cheesiness. The digging machine… With the stolen diamonds as his teeth, it can chew through anything, muawhaha!"  
"Impressive…", Limburger said. "But is it big enough?"  
"Oh yes! Big enough to stripmine all of Chicago in a single day!"  
"Say farewell to Chicago, gentleman. Because by this time tomorrow, the windy city will be gone… with the wind! Muawhahahaha!"

The mice looked shocked at each other.  
"We need to stop him. Let's get the bikes, come on!"  
When they crashed through the wall, everybody was already in the machine and it's engine was started.  
"Hold the train, Limburger!", Throttle yelled while they stopped in front of the machine.  
"You are not gonna destroy Chicago if we can help it!" Vinnie pointed at Limburger.  
The fat man opened a window and his head popped out.  
"You operate under a big misconception. You see, you are not gonna be able to stop me. You repulsive rodents!"  
"Hey!" they heard out of the machine. That must be the rat. Limburger turned around to look at him.  
"Ahum. Present company excepted, of course."  
"Soul… rat."  
Limburger smiled and grabbed a laser gun. He hang out of the window and aimed at the mice. The mice revved their bikes and sped away when Limburger opened fire.  
"Finish them off!", they heard him yell and the goons came out of nowhere.  
The mice drove into a hallway, followed by the goons which were firing at them.  
"Man, these guys are a pain in my tail!", Throttle said, slightly annoyed.  
"Let's throw 'em for a loop!", Modo answered and the mice fired their jets. They drove up the wall and drove back through the ceiling.  
"AAAOOWW, not bad. The baddest!", Vinnie cheered. They let go of their handlebars, grabbed the goons by the shoulders when they drove above them and pulled them out of their buggies. The goons screamed in fear and the mice dumped them in the dumpster (A/N; singing something, but honestly, I can't understand a word they are saying. Not even after watching this episode for like a hundred times or so).  
"Well, they certainly look at home there", Vinnie smiled, looking over his shoulder. They drove through the wall back on the ground. When they came back in the same room as where they came in, they saw a huge hole in the ground.  
"Man, I got the stinking feeling Limburger is more underfoot than ever…", the tan furred mouse said while looking down. They could feel the ground shaking.  
"And he has the mayor with him!", Modo said, his eye glowing red.  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"We can't follow him, he is too fast."  
"We can take the shortcut?", Modo suggested.  
Vinnie and Throttle looked at him with a confused look on their faces.  
"The subway system", Modo quickly explained.  
"Great idea, big fella. Let's ride!"  
They blasted through the wall outside and Modo looked behind him with a smile.  
"You know, we could've come out of that other hole we blasted when we went in…"  
Vinnie almost fell off his bike.  
"Are you kidding? Where is the fun in that?", he snickered.  
"Fun is over, bro's. Come on, we need to hurry, before Chicago gets a one way ticket to Plutark." And Throttle took the lead.

They stopped on the edge of a bridge that was collapsed.  
"Oh no, Limburger's machine is heading straight towards Sweet Georgie Brown Radio station", Throttle sighed.  
"Must be a country western fan", Vinnie answered, smiling.  
"Well, that's the final dig. Now I'm mad…", Modo growled, his eye glowing red.  
Throttle nodded. "Yeah… Limburger is fighting dirty now…"  
They revved their bikes and sped away. They entered the subway by using the stairs. They jumped off the platform and entered the tunnels.  
"Yeaaahh, rock and RAIL!", Vinnie cheered, while popping a wheelie.  
"Next stop; the big cheese!", Throttle yelled and they drove further. When they came around the corner, they spotted the machine and parked their bikes in front of it. The machine slowly came to a halt.  
"That's far enough, Limburger!", Throttle said angry. It was a rare thing their leader got angry, but no one was messing with his favorite radio station.  
Limburger looked out of the window and clenched his fists.  
"It's those wrenching rodents! Drill them!", he ordered and grabbed the rat by the collar. "NOW!"  
The drill started to turn again and drove towards the mice.  
Vinnie grabbed his big laser gun that came out of the back of his bike.  
"That's it bro's. Fire at will!", the tan furred mouse ordered.  
"I rather fire at the machine…", Modo said, looking confused. Throttle sighed.  
"Just do it…"  
They opened fire. The machine was close by when it turned.  
"It's turning!"  
"AAAOOWW, are we the baddest underground sensation, or what?", Vinnie yelled excited, still firing. The machine drove further, but suddenly, it stopped.  
The mice stopped and Modo looked at his bro's.  
"Uh oh, now what?"  
"Bad news", Throttle answered.  
Limburger opened his window again with a big smile on his face. That made the mice even more suspicious.  
"Nooo, it's good news, Biker Mice. For me… You see, you're about to be destroyed. Meet your personal escort to the afterlife; Tunnel rat!"  
The rat drove out the machine, driving some kind of mine wagon. He grabbed a small drill from his back and pointed it at the mice.  
"I tear mieces… to pieces…", he said with a husky voice. Then, he opened fire. Laser came out of the drill. The mice quickly turned their bikes and flew into one of the tunnels Limburger's machine had made.|  
"Let's get him down and get out tails topside", Vinnie said.  
"Yeah, and fast. The radio deception down here is lousy", Modo agreed.

The mice drove through the tunnels, followed by Tunnel rat.  
"The digging machine is right ahead", Throttle said, looking at the screen on his bike.  
They flew around the corner and made a sharp turn to avoid a crash. But the rat wasn't that lucky. He saw too late where he was headed and there was nothing he could do. Well, he tried, by hitting the brakes. But he crashed against the digging machine. A loud explosion was the result. When the smoke dawned, Tunnel rat was lying on the ground.  
"I hate those miserable… mieces…", he said before he passed out. Throttle and Modo stopped next to him.  
"Nah, that will hold him. Till Karbunkle sends him back to whatever rat hole he crawled out of."  
"Okay. Now that we trapped the rat, it's time for the cheese", Throttle said and they drove to the digging machine. They jumped off their bikes and climbed inside. The machine was a mess. They heard Limburger yelling about he needed to have control and that he is the mayor.  
Modo kicked the door to the cockpit open and he and Throttle walked inside.  
"Not for long, Limburger. Your days as head cheese are over."  
Modo aimed his arm cannon at them and Karbunkle quickly raised his hands. Limburger was harder to convince. He grabbed the mayor who was sitting beside him and put a gun against his head.  
"Not so fast… Politics is a power game, rodent. And in this game, I still hold the winning hand…"  
Throttle and Modo looked at each other. Shit. But then, they heard a engine. They smiled. Vinnie.  
The wall next to Limburger exploded and because of the force of it, Limburger flew forward. He had no choice to let go of the mayor, who was also falling.  
"YIIAAOOWW! Never fear… Vinnie's here!", the white furred mouse cheered and he catched the mayor. He set him behind him.  
"It's an honour to give you a ride, you honour."  
Throttle smiled and walked over to his younger bro.  
"Get him to safety, Vinnie. We will wrap things up here."  
Vinnie nodded and drove away. Throttle quickly walked to the screen and changed the coordinates. He pushed a button and the machine turned and started to drive again. Throttle and Modo jumped on their bikes.  
"Let's bail."  
They drove back through the subway system and came up just in time to see the tower crumble into dust. They gave each other a high five.  
"That will keep him busy for a while!", Modo laughed. Vinnie joined them.  
"The mayor is back where he belongs. He even gave me three coupons for free hotdogs and rootbeer!"  
"Great! Let's surprise Kiwi with lunch!", Modo said.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and EAT!"

Kiwi was sitting at home, trying to watch TV, but she was with her mind elsewhere. She was worried about the mice. What if they got hurt? What if they didn't come back? She shook her head. Come on… They were soldiers. They knew what they were doing. But she felt a huge relief when she heard three engines coming closer. She decided to stay on the couch. It was one thing she was worried, but if they found out… Well, she was never gonna hear the end of it. So, she turned up the volume and quickly lay down, like she was lying there for hours now.  
"Kiwi ma'am?" Modo's voice. She stretched and faked a yawn.  
"Back already?", she asked casually. Modo nodded.  
"We eh… we brought you some lunch. Wanna join us?"  
"Yeah, sure!"  
And she followed him to the kitchen. Vinnie and Throttle were already sitting at the table and Vinnie was stuffing two hotdogs into his big mouth. He saw Kiwi and mumbled something. It sounded like 'Hey sweetheart', but that was just a guess.  
Throttle lay two hotdogs on a plate and gave it to Kiwi.  
"Here, before loudmouth eats everything."  
She looked at him with gratitude.  
"Thank you."  
It was silent for a moment. Everybody was enjoying their meal. Kiwi nibbled at her hotdog and watched the mice eat. And she came to the conclusion that fighting a war gave a increasing appetite. Within minutes, the pile of hotdogs was gone and they washed it away with root beer. Vinnie burped loudly, rubbing his belly. Kiwi rolled her eyes and continued eating her hotdog. Vinnie stared at her plate.  
"Are you gonna eat that?", he asked, almost drooling. Kiwi sighed and shoved the plate towards him. Vinnie grabbed the hotdog and stuffed it in his mouth, like he hadn't just ate ten.  
"So, everything went well, I suppose?", she asked.  
"Yep. We stopped Limburger and the mayor is back. He probably needs to clean his office though... Limburger's tower is dust now, so he will be busy with rebuilding, I guess", Throttle said casually. Like it was nothing. But then again, maybe it was nothing for them. Anyway, Kiwi was impressed.  
"Good job, guys."  
"Pfff, did you doubt? We're the best. He never stood a chance", Vinnie said, looking a little bit green under his fur. Kiwi giggled.  
"Did you eat too much hot dogs, Vinnie?", she asked innocently. Vinnie waved it away.  
"No way. Too much is never enough", but his voice sounded a little weaker than normal.  
"You shouldn't have eat that last hotdog…" Kiwi smiled at him. She couldn't feel sorry for him. Not after all his teasing.  
"Like my grey furred momma used to say; the eye is bigger than the stomach…", Modo added.  
Vinnie stuck out his tongue, but said nothing. Suddenly, he jumped at his feet and ran outside. Kiwi started laughing. Throttle and Modo soon joined her.  
"That will teach him a lesson", Kiwi giggled.  
"Well, knowing Vinnie; it won't", Throttle smiled, shaking his head. Then his face grew serious.  
"Kiwi, I thought we had a agreement you would stay away from Limburger. Then why did you pop up twice today?"  
Kiwi shuffled her feet and played with her fingers.  
"Well, I wanted to help. I'm not afraid of him. And I don't want him to destroy this city or planet. It's my home… You fight for what's yours… So why shouldn't I do the same?"  
"Yeah, but that's just not the same. We know what we are doing. This isn't our first fight. You on the other hand, know nothing about fighting. Look, all I'm trying to say is; it's dangerous. You should be afraid of him. He is the enemy. He is a Plutarkian. They are the most evil race we ever met."  
"We just don't want you to get hurt, Kiwi ma'am. That would make us sad…", Modo added.  
"Look, I understand what you are saying. But I can do this. Look at today! Thanks to me, you knew where to go and what Limburgers plans were."  
"Yeah, and you also was a hostage again. It's not safe, Kiwi. Next time, I want you stay at home, end of discussion", Throttle said with a strict voice. Kiwi shook her head. She thought she finally had a purpose to live. She finally had the feeling she mattered. And now, they were shutting her out. She gritted her teeth.  
"I thought we made a pretty good team today. But apparently, I was wrong. Apparently, sexism is also a problem on Mars. Unbelievable.." and she jumped at her feet. She felt embarrassed. She just couldn't help it. She thought she slowly became one of the guys. But they didn't want her. That she had missed that fact, made her angry. Angry on herself. And them. Dammit. This kinda things always happened when she let someone close to her. It always ended in disappointment. She felt tears burning in her eyes and she turned around.  
"Kiwi, wait…" Throttle tried to say something, but Kiwi wanted to be alone. She marched straight to the door in direction of the stairs, when she bumped into Vinnie. She almost fell, but Vinnie caught her.  
"Wow, sweetheart. If I knew you were gonna fall for me that easily…" and he winked at her. Kiwi's cheeks burned and she pushed Vinnie out of the way.  
"STOP calling me SWEETHEART!", and she ran upstairs.  
Just before she closed the door, she heard Vinnie asking what he did wrong. With a loud bang, she closed the door and leaned against it with her back. She slowly slid down and she burst into tears. Dammit. How could she be so stupid? Trusting them? Thinking that they cared? But they do care, a little voice said. They don't want you to get hurt… Bullshit. They using that as an excuse. She crawled to her nightstand and grabbed the pills. Her hands were shaking. Failure. Failure. Failure. Her brain kept repeating the word, over and over again. But still, she took two pills and crawled under the blanket. And finally, the world slowly became black.

The next day, she slowly woke up. The first thing that popped up in her head was how she had reacted yesterday. Oh shit. Embarrassing. Awkward. Crazy. She sighed. What was she gonna say to them… She didn't want to explain herself. She didn't want to tell her story. Well, she couldn't stay in bed all day. Let's get this over with. She got dressed and slowly walked downstairs. It was silent. Too silent. Kiwi walked into the yard. No mice. Shit. What if they were gone? What if they thought, after her outburst, that they weren't welcome anymore? But when she looked around the corner, she saw their bikes. They must be here. Maybe she didn't knew them that well, she hardly could believe they would leave without their bikes.  
She slowly approached the guesthouse, not sure if the bikes were gonna attack her again. But they didn't. Apparently, they now knew she was on the same side. She peeked through a window, but it was too dark inside. Quietly, she opened the door and sneaked inside. Loud snoring was heard out of one of the rooms. She giggled. How would they sleep, she wondered. Curled up? Hanging on the ceiling? Only one way to find out. She tiptoed to one of the rooms and slowly opened the door. It was Throttle's room, she saw. He was lying on his belly, the blanket carefully draped over his ass. But his legs, feet and back were not covered. Kiwi saw his glasses lying on the nightstand next to him. She slowly walked into the room. He looked so young and innocent while sleeping. She smiled. It was really cute.  
She sneaked to another room and loud snoring met her. Ah. Modo. He was lying under the blankets on his back and his hands folded on his chest. Kiwi stared at it and tried not to laugh. It looked like he was already practising for his funeral. But damn, he snored loud! She was glad she let them sleep in the guesthouse instead in her own house.  
One more room to go. Was she really gonna look into Vinnie's room? What if he woke up? What would he do? But her curiosity won. She opened the door and peeked inside. She felt her lips curl into a smile. The white furred mouse was also lying on his belly, diagonally across the bed. The blankets were lying on the ground and his head was hanging over the edge. Very Vinnie like. He only wore a pair of black boxers and she took a quick look at his muscular body. It was a nice body, she had to admit. But no way she was gonna say that out loud. Ever. She quickly closed the door, before Romeo would wake up.

Kiwi decided to make them breakfast and take them down to the lake. She knew a spot where nobody usually came, so enough privacy for them. It was her way of apologizing for her behaviour yesterday. She walked back to the house, still smiling. Who would have thought that three tough macho mice looked this cute while they were sleeping? A giggle escaped her mouth and she started with breakfast.  
When breakfast was ready, she called the guys. Throttle and Modo were already awake and yelled back they were coming.  
"So, who is gonna wake Vinnie today?", Modo asked. It was not easy to wake up that white furred loudmouth and sometimes even dangerous. Because of the war, they were always on their guard. And that sometimes resulted in a fight, and on bad days even an firefight. With Vinnie being the most hotheated, he always gave the most troubles. Throttle sighed.  
"I'll go."  
He walked into Vinnie's room and noticed the mouse was almost falling out of his bed. His head was hanging over the edge, just like his arms. His tail held on to the other side. Throttle smiled. Crazy mouse. He lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
"Vinnie. Wake up. Kiwi made us breakfast, we don't want to let the lady wait, right?"  
No response.  
"Vinnie…" Throttle shook him harder.  
Still no response.  
Throttle sighed. This needed more drastic measures. He walked to the other side of the bed and with one finger, he made Vinnie's tail loose from the bed. That was the last push he needed and the white furred mouse fell out of the bed with a loud bang. Throttle braced himself. Vinnie jumped up, his gun in his hand.  
"Chill, Vincent. It's just me", Throttle said calmly, his hands in the air.  
Vinnie stared at him and then at the gun. He smiled and threw the gun over his shoulder.  
"Sorry bro. You were saying something about breakfast?"  
"So you did hear me?"  
"Yeah, somewhere far, far away…"  
"Man… Come on. Kiwi is waiting. And I want you to be nice to her today. You think you can do that?"  
Vinnie smiled innocently.  
"I'm always being nice to her! Who do you think I am? Besides… she likes me."  
Throttle shook his head and walked out of Vinnie's room, before Vinnie's ego would take all the air out of it and he was gonna suffocate. Or worse, listening to Vinnie's bragging any longer.

The mice were watching the waffles suspiciously, like they were gonna be attacked by one if they touched it.  
"Eh, Kiwi ma'am? What is this?", Modo asked hesitantly, with one finger carefully pricking in the waffle on his plate. Kiwi smiled.  
"Waffles. I'm sure you will love them. Try it. And don't worry, they won't bite", she said, winking. Throttle, with being the leader, carefully grabbed a waffle and took a bite. The other two were watching him carefully. At first, Throttle had a thoughtful frown on his face, but it slowly made place for a grin.  
"This is great!", and he stuffed another one in his mouth.  
Vinnie and Modo, visibly reassured now that the waffle hadn't exploded in their leaders mouth, also took a bite.  
"Hmmm, I love it, sweetheart", Vinnie mumbled with his mouth full. Modo agreed. Kiwi was glad they liked it.  
"Guys, I wanna go for a swim today. Wanna join me?", she asked casually.  
The mice fell silent and stared at her.  
"What?", she asked, didn't quite understanding why this was a weird question to them.  
"Eh… It's just… We don't have a lot of water left on Mars and well… You know… It's weird to hear someone suggesting to have a swim…", Modo stuttered. Kiwi's ears turned hot.  
"Oh! I never thought about it. Well, here on Earth, we've got plenty of water. So… eh… You guys wanna come?"  
"Does that mean we are gonna see you naked? Because…", Vinnie started but Throttle slammed a hand over his mouth before he could continue.  
"Maybe swimming isn't the best idea…", he said slowly, looking meaningful at Vinnie. Kiwi stared at them but then started laughing. She just couldn't help it. These mice… Honestly.  
"Well, then just chilling at the lake? In our clothes?", she added quickly. Vinnie rolled his eyes, but Throttle's hand was still holding his snout.  
"Fine by me, Kiwi ma'am", Modo said polite. Throttle slowly released Vinnie, giving him a warning look. Vinnie stuck out his tongue.  
"Fine."

The sun slowly dropped into the water and Throttle sighed happily. This was great. After living in a war for so long, he kinda forgot how it was to feel peaceful. Kiwi had brought a huge blanket and he was lying on it, looking at the sunset. Kiwi was sitting next to him, reading a book. Modo was sitting close by the water, finally able to pick up his old hobby again, namely; fishing. Vinnie was lying on his belly, snoring loud. The group had learned that waffles weren't the best diet for the white furred mouse. The result was a very hyper mouse having a sugar rush. They were all glad that he had finally exhausted himself and was sleeping like a baby now. Well, a very loud snoring baby. Kiwi giggled. Throttle glanced at her between the corner of his eyes. She looked different then when they had met. Happier. But there were still so many questions he had for her. But he didn't wanna make her feel uncomfortable. He had seen yesterday how she reacted when she was feeling uncomfortable. She just needed time.  
"Do you miss home?", she suddenly asked. He sighed.  
"Well… Home is a warzone. So, that's a difficult question to answer. I do miss home, but I don't miss the war. The chaos. To see everyday how our home is being destroyed further and further. But somehow, it feels wrong to be here. Nobody knows we are here. For all I know, they all think we're dead…"  
"Do you have people waiting for you, back on Mars?", Kiwi asked hesitantly.  
"Like family? No. I've lost everybody. But the Freedom Fighters are my family now. And me and my bro's are the best soldiers they have. So I guess they want us back. But we have to fight the same fight here now. Limburger has to be stopped. Someday… I just wish I could let them know we are okay."  
Kiwi nodded. She felt sorry for him. What a way of living.  
"Do you still have family?", Throttle asked. He had to ask.  
Kiwi breathed in sharply. He immediately saw her changing back into the cold, distant person they had met.  
"Look, you don't have to answer if you don't want. But you can't blame me for being curious."  
Kiwi stared at her clenched fists and after a long silence, she finally said something.  
"No. I don't." She turned around and grabbed her book.  
Throttle sighed and closed his eyes. Someday, she will trust them enough to tell them. Like he just said, she just needed time.

* * *

Puhleaasee review! :)


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks for the review! :)

* * *

 **Chapter five**

"GREASEPIT! Be careful, you mistriant!", Karbunkle yelled at the big lummox, who was trying to hold an iron box. But since his hands were slippery because of his oil leaking problem, he had a hard time doing what him was told. And of course, he failed. The box flew out of his hands and landed on Karbunkles foot. The weird doctor almost screamed in pain.  
"Oops…", Greasepit said sheepishly.  
Karbunkle exploded and scolded him with every word he knew. Greasepit held up his hands.  
"Heyz! Yous the one whos the inventor, I didn't forgot the handle…"  
"This is a BOMB, not luggage, you barrel of oil spit!", Karbunkle yelled, while grabbing Greasepit by his dungarees.

"Well, if it ain't the degenerate duo…"  
"Sleeze brain and sludge…"  
Karbunkle and Greasepit looked behind them and saw the Biker Mice with that irritating woman.  
"You boys looking for something?", Kiwi asked, enjoying to sound this badass.  
"Like trouble, maybe?", Throttle added.  
He didn't liked the fact Kiwi was with them, but this time it wasn't her fault. They were just on the way to grab some hot dogs and Kiwi had joined them. But that's when they found these two hanging in an alley. And that could only mean trouble.  
Karbunkle waved with his hands.  
"Ehm… no! No, we were just on our way to eh… to t-the repair shop!" He pointed a black gloved finger in the air. "That's it, yes! This idiot got us lost!" and he pointed his finger at Greasepit.  
"Now, Greasepit, bring along that eh… toaster oven…" and they both turned around to walk away. But Vinnie grabbed Greasepit.  
"Hold it! You ain't going anywhere…" as he turned around Greasepit. But the big lummox laughed.  
"Oh yes I is… but you ain't!" and he slammed the box against Vinnie's chest. Vinnie was forced with his back against the wall and four ties slammed into the stone, making sure the white furred mouse wasn't going anywhere. Vinnie stared at the box and smiled when he saw the red numbers counting down.  
"Wooooow! The top sixty countdown!", he cheered.  
Throttle and Modo came into action.  
"Grab him!"  
But Greasepit and Karbunkle were faster this time. They were already on the trike from Greasepit and they drove away with dangerous speed and shrieking tires.  
"Hey! The bad guys are booking!", Modo said, watching them drive away.  
"Hey bro's! I've got something kinda explosive I like to get off my chest!"  
His bro's turned around when they heard Vinnie's voice. Kiwi was pulling on the box, but it didn't move. She looked at the numbers and then to Throttle.  
"We've got less than a minute to get this off him!"  
"Or Vinnie get a one way ticket back to Mars…" Throttle rubbed his chin and grabbed Modo.  
"We need the bikes. Come on. Kiwi, try to stop that thing."  
Kiwi stared at him in shock.  
"What? But… how?", she stuttered.  
"You'll figure something out. Just do it!" and the two mice ran away.  
Kiwi looked closely at the box and saw screws. Right. What will they do in a movie? Screw this thing open and cut wires. Right. She grabbed her keys and used the key from her diary to open the box. Her hands were shaking. Dammit, she was gonna lose it.  
"I really have no idea what I'm doing, Vinnie…', she said, panicking. Vinnie looked in the box, as far as that was possible in his position.  
"You got something to cut the wires?", he asked. He sounded way too calm.  
Kiwi almost blacked out from panic, but thankfully, she suddenly remembered she had her nail scissors with her. She looked at the wires. Two of them. Red or blue.  
"Just you and me, babe. In about a billion pieces…", Vinnie said with a low voice, smiling at her. Kiwi couldn't believe her ears.  
"Would you stop that? I'm trying to save you, but I need your help!"  
"Just trying to be romantic", Vinnie winked. Kiwi almost exploded.  
"Now is not the time, Romeo!", she yelled and grabbed the wires.  
"Favorite colour?"  
"Bleu! Like your eyes…"  
Kiwi rolled her, indeed, blue eyes and cut the blue wire. They both looked at the screen and Kiwi breathed in sharply when she saw the countdown was only going faster.  
"Whoops…", Vinnie smiled.  
Why was he smiling?  
"Whoops is right!"

 _Fifteen seconds to destruction_

"Papadapa papadapapaaaa, cavalry!" she suddenly heard Modo's voice. Thank god. She jumped out of the way when he and Throttle flew around the corner on their bikes. They flew past them and Modo's bike shot a rope with a hook. The hook clamped around one of the ties and they drove further. Vinnie looked at the timer and back to Modo.  
"This is such a rush!", he cheered.  
Kiwi stared at him. A rush? Yeah, it was but… never mind. His way of dealing with being close to death, she guessed.

 _Seven seconds till destruction_

Vinnie gritted his teeth, staring at the screen. And at that point, the rope tightened and because of the force of the bikes, the bomb flew away. Vinnie stretched his muscles, a big grin on his face.  
"That… was awesome!", he laughed and he pumped his fist into the air.  
Kiwi just stared at him. Yep. He was crazy.  
"Thanks bro's", Vinnie said when Modo and Throttle stopped next to him.  
"No problem. It would be way too quiet around here without your loudmouth", Modo smiled, punching him on the arm.  
Kiwi was sitting on the ground, because her legs had became weak.  
"Need a ride home, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, offering his hand. Kiwi jerked up and slammed his hand away.  
"No thanks. I will use my car. See you guys at home, okay?" and she walked away.  
The bro's stared at her and were loss at words, but then Modo's stomach broke the silence.  
"Hotdogs?", Modo suggested, smiling sheepishly.  
"Hell yeah!"

Kiwi had planned to go to her car, but she needed to walk. She needed to calm her nerves. Dammit. Everytime she thought she could handle all this, something happened and the panic was back in full force. She wasn't scared of dying. That was the weirdest thing. But being completely useless, that was making her anxious. Thankfully, Modo and Throttle were there right on time to save Vinnie. Otherwise he would be dead now. Because of her. Because she was useless. A nothing. A nobody… She felt tears in her eyes and wiped them away. Dammit. Was she ever gonna be the same again? She used to be a strong, happy and self assured girl. But since… Stop it. Everything was changed. Why her? Why was she still alive and her parents not?  
"STOP IT!"  
She realized she had screamed the words out loud. People who were walking past her stared at her and quickly walked further, their heads down. No surprise there. If you were different than others, you were being avoided. When you lose someone, everybody is there to help you. Well, at the beginning, that is. When time goes by, people are going back to their own lifes. If you run into them while doing your groceries, they ask how you are doing. And they expect you to say that you're fine. Because when you tell them you're not, they don't know what to say anymore. Since 'get over it' is too harsh. And when you don't have the strength to get over it, you end up alone. Kiwi knew that. She had learned it the hard way. And here she was. Walking through the city, screaming at herself. Maybe she was crazy. But deep down, she knew she wasn't. She was lonely. She was carrying a great burden, on her own. She just needed people to care. And the mice did. But talking about what happened to her, was too much. She just couldn't. Being vulnerable was hard, especially for her. She felt weak. Because she didn't used to be like this. To be so… weak.

The mice were sitting on their bikes, eating hot dogs. But suddenly, Vinnie sniffed.  
"Ugh… what is that…"  
Modo sniffed too.  
"I don't know bro, but it stinks…"  
They heard engines approach and saw two buggies driving straight towards them. People who were close, ran away because of the god awful smell. They now saw that two big and fat Plutarkians sat behind the wheel. They stopped right before the mice.  
"Biker Mice! We are Hakka…", the biggest one said.  
"... and Honka…", the smaller one continued.  
"The Looooooogie Brothers!" they both cheered.  
"And we want to tear you up!", Hakka said.  
"We are the scum of the universe", Honka cheered.  
"Yeah, for three years running!", Hakka smiled, holding up a trophee.  
"Swell… You can keep the title, boys…", Throttle said.  
"But nobody messes with our city…", Modo rumbled.  
"Especially Plutarkian stinkfish like you", and Vinnie pointed at them.  
The Loogie Brothers popped a wheelie and drove away.  
"Time to rumble, bro's. Deep space mode", Throttle ordered, closing his visor.  
"Yeaahh… Pfew… Keep the stink out", Vinnie said smiling, closing his visor too.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"  
And they started the chase. The Loogi Brothers were flying through the streets, followed by the mice. Suddenly, they split up and that was exactly what the mice needed. Vinnie went after Hakka and Modo and Throttle after Honka. But they chased them to the same point and suddenly, the two brothers saw each other and hit the brakes. The back tires of their buggies flew in the air, but they avoided a crash.  
"That was a close one", Hakka said.  
"This is closer", and Throttle pointed his gun at them. His bro's did the same.  
"Give it up, skunk boys…", Vinnie said, his voice low.  
Suddenly, Kiwi came into view.  
"What the hell happened, guys?", she said confused. Hakka grabbed this opportunity and grabbed Kiwi while driving.  
"We happened!"  
"Yah, and you are a hostage…"  
"Hey!", Kiwi yelled angry.  
"Hold back, bro's. They got Kiwi. Dammit, this girl doesn't know how to stay out of trouble", Throttle sighed.  
The Loogie Brothers fired their jets and flew into the air.  
"Let's follow them, bro's!", Throttle ordered.  
"Yeah, they gotta come down somewhere…" and Vinnie revved his engine.  
They followed the Brothers, but suddenly, they let Kiwi go. They could hear her scream when she was falling down.  
"Kiwi is doing the asphalt dive!", Modo yelled urgent.  
"Vinnie! Fire off!", Throttle ordered.  
"BANG! I'm gone…" and Vinnie pulled back his handlebars and fired his jets. A huge flame came out of the back of his bike and he flew into the air. He looked at the radar and saw she was out of range. He wasn't gonna be fast enough, unless...  
"Wow. Change of plans. This better works, or Kiwi is streetpizza", he said and he jumped off his bike when he was close enough. He stretched his arms and grabbed Kiwi.  
"Gotcha!"  
Kiwi opened her eyes and clung on to him. She looked down and saw they were still falling down.  
"Great! But who's got you?", she yelled.  
"Don't sweat it, babe. This is standard hero work" and he whistled at his bike.  
"Yo bike! Throw us a line!"  
The bike shot a rope and Vinnie grabbed it. But that's when Kiwi understood the plan. The bike. She needed to get on the bike.  
No… no, no, no… NO! She started to struggle, her legs kicking.  
"NO! NO, NO, NO!", she yelled. She kicked against Vinnie's legs and tried to climb over his head. Vinnie gritted his teeth.  
"Sweetheart, calm down…" but she didn't hear him. She kept screaming and struggling. Vinnie had his hands full with holding onto the rope and avoiding Kiwi was gonna fall out of his arms. Her elbow hit him in his neck, her knee full in his stomach. Jesus, what the hell was wrong with her?  
"Sweetheart, stop!", he yelled, his voice urgent now.  
He was always in for a challenge, the more danger the better, but they were running out of time. And he hadn't planned on dying. Not today. And no way he was gonna be responsible for Kiwi's death. But then, Kiwi's knee hit him straight between his legs. He squeezed his eyes in pain and he let out a growl. Even it was a short moment, his arms gave enough space for the struggling Kiwi to get loose and she pushed him away, her eyes wide open...  
"NO!", Vinnie yelled and his tail lashed through the air. He wrapped it around her waist, but the girl was still panicking. But Vinnie wasn't one that gave up that easily. He lifted her up and grabbed her again. Her nails scratched his back and he felt a stinging pain. Okay. That's it. Enough is just enough.  
"KIWI!", he roared in anger. Kiwi stopped struggling and stared at him. This was the first time he said her name. Her real name. No sweetheart. No babe. No doll…  
"You are gonna stop with whatever you are doing and let me do the work. Maybe you have a deathwish, but don't you dare to drag me with you! Because you know I will! One more move, and I'll knock you out, UNDERSTAND?!"  
She finally kept her mouth shut, so Vinnie whistled again and his bike flew under him. Right in time. When his tires hit the ground, he immediately hit the brakes and before his bike even stood still, he threw Kiwi off. She fell on the ground, gasping for air. Vinnie pulled off his helmet, his eyes fuming. Throttle and Modo joined them. Modo jumped off his bike and ran over to Kiwi. Throttle lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder. He noticed the scratches on his back and arms, but said nothing about it.  
"You okay?", he asked softly. Vinnie gave a small nod, but his eyes were fixed on Kiwi. Modo held her, trying to calm her down.  
"It's okay, Kiwi ma'am. You're safe now. Easy…"  
Slowly, Kiwi calmed down a little. Meaning, she could breathe again. Vinnie stepped off his bike and walked over to her. He pointed at her.  
"Do you think this is some kind of game?", he asked, his voice low. His tail was lashing through the air, his fur bristled. Kiwi looked up at him, her eyes wide open. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.  
"I asked you a question. You almost got us both killed. So again, is this some kind of game to you?!"  
Kiwi finally found her tongue back.  
"N-no… No, I… Jesus, I'm sorry, okay?", she whispered, her voice shaky.  
"You're sorry? Right. What I wanna know is; what the fuck is wrong with you?" Vinnie was clearly upset.  
Throttle stared at him. It was a rare thing for Vinnie to get this mad. And why was he mad about the fact he almost died? Normally, he didn't care that much. But then it hit him. He cared. He cared about Kiwi. And she almost died too. And in Vinnie's eyes, that was failure. Throttle lay a hand on his younger bro's shoulder.  
"Easy, Vin. Let's talk about this later…" but Vinnie yanked himself free.  
"No. I think I deserve an explanation after what just happened. Because if this is gonna happen on regular bases, I wanna know why I'm risking my life to save your ass while maybe you don't even want to be safed!"  
Kiwi stared at him. His words hurt her. She was still on edge. She wasn't thinking clear. Why was he forcing her to explain something she didn't want to? She felt anger took over. She jumped at her feet.  
"I don't need to explain anything! I didn't asked to be saved all the time, you know that, right? And you are always on the front row to help. Geez, I wonder why!? So you can brag about it? So you can get into my pants? Well?"  
She didn't want to say these things. But she just couldn't stop herself. She was upset, very upset because of falling out of the sky from such height and then the bike… That goddamn bike… Why didn't they had planes or something?  
Vinnie shook his head in anger, his ears flattened against his head.  
"So what is that you want? Tell me! Next time, we just let you die? Are you really that stupid? You never thought about someone else, instead of yourself? For example; what it will do to us when we let you die, because of a war that you have nothing to do with? Talk about being selfish…"  
"Vincent… stop…", Throttle whispered. Vinnie was pushing the girl too far. But it was too late.  
Kiwi cracked. She marched to Vinnie and planted her finger on his chest.  
"You wanna know why I wanna die? FINE! I lost both of my parents because of an accident. A accident with BIKES! I was thrown off the bike and my parents took the full hit. I saw my father's head flying off his body and my mother crushed against a truck. You know what that does to a person? To see your loved ones die in the most gruesome way, right in front of you? Watching, completely helpless I… I…" but she couldn't talk further.  
She couldn't breathe and felt her legs became weak. But before she collapsed, Vinnie caught her. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her. She cried like she hadn't cried in a long time. She buried her face into his soft fur and clung on to him. But it was too much. Telling them had opened the wound again. The wound that wasn't healed, only hidden. Her body had enough. The adrenaline wore off and she felt the world became black.

A pounding headache. A dry mouth. Sore muscles. Kiwi slowly opened her eyes. Burning eyes. She noticed she was lying in her bed, but she didn't knew how she came there. She blinked a few times and suddenly, everything came back. Her grief and sorrow hit her full in the again. She jerked upright.  
"Easy, Kiwi."  
Throttle's voice. His husky, calm voice. Somehow, it made her feel calmer. Less alone. She saw him sitting in the chair that was standing in the corner of her room.  
"Throttle… I…"  
"Sssshh… It's okay…" and he walked closer and sat down on her bed. She looked at him, her eyes wide. Shit. She told them. She told them about their parents. She yelled at Vinnie, which was completely unfair. He saved her life. And what did she do? Yelling at him. But it was because of the panic. She knew that. But still…  
"H-how did I get here?", she asked, her voice shaky.  
"We brought you home. With your car. Vinnie insisted to drive you home in your car, in case you would wake up."  
"Oh. That's unusual sweet of him…" Throttle saw her confused look.  
"He cares about you, Kiwi. We all do. You helped us when we had no place to go. You gave us a place to call home again. We will be forever in your debts."  
Kiwi felt a warm feeling inside of her. They do care. See? She wasn't alone anymore. Tears filled her eyes, but this time because of gratitude. After months of suffering, she finally wasn't alone anymore.  
"You hungry?", he asked, smiling because he heard her stomach growl. She smiled sheepishly.  
"Yeah… I will make us some… diner? Breakfast? What time is it anyway?"  
"It's 6pm."  
"Jezus, how long was I out?"  
"A full night and day…"  
"Well, diner it is then…" and she got out of her bed.  
She quickly grabbed a bathrobe and pulled it closely around her. Throttle took the lead and they walked downstairs, to the kitchen. Modo and Vinnie were sitting at the table, playing a card game. But the moment Kiwi came in, the game was forgotten. Modo jumped at his feet and pulled her in a tight hug.  
"Kiwi ma'am, are you okay?", he asked with a worried look on his face. Kiwi wrapped her arms around his big waist.  
"No, I'm not. But I will be… one day."  
Finally, she could be honest. It felt somehow… liberating. Modo let her go and gave her a smile. Kiwi smiled back and then looked at Vinnie. The white furred mouse was still sitting at the table, obviously having no clue what to do. His bravado was nowhere to be found. But Kiwi took the word.  
"Listen, Vin… I'm sorry… you know… for... ", she trailed off when she saw the scratch marks on his arms. Her cheeks turned red. Jesus, did she do that? Dammit, no wonder he was mad. Vinnie looked back at her.  
"I eh… I-it's okay, sweetheart. I uhm… yeah… hehe..."  
Throttle shook his head. They both sucked at showing their feelings and putting them into words, big time.  
"It's okay, Vin. I know."  
Vinnie nodded, clearly happy he didn't need to say anything further. His arrogance immediately came back and he wiggled his eyebrows.  
"Like your look, sweetheart."  
Kiwi sighed and rolled her eyes, but with a little smile on her lips. She blew him a kiss hand.  
"I almost forgot. Thanks for saving my life…"  
His reaction surprised her. Again, Vinnie's arrogance melted away like snow in the sun. He blushed and pulled on his bandana. He gave her a shy smile, but said nothing. Kiwi shook her head. This was too cute. Modo and Throttle laughed and whooped at Vinnie, who was still blushing. And Kiwi finally knew; even Vinnie, with all his arrogance and bravado, was a sweet, caring guy. A big mouth, but a small heart. He did save her life twice now. First, she had thought that was because he wanted to be in the spotlights, to brag how good he was. But she now knew. He cared. They all cared. And that gave her such good feeling.  
"So, hot dogs and rootbeer?", she asked, breaking the silence. The mice cheered.  
"Hell yeah!"

After diner, Throttle took a deep breath.  
"Kiwi? I'm sorry for your loss… It must have been real hard to lose your parents like that…"  
Kiwi looked at him. She didn't know what to say. Tears filled her eyes again. The mice were looking hopeless at each other, not sure what to say. It was then when Vinnie surprised them all, even his bro's.  
"I eh… I lost my parents too. My mom died in my arms and my father… Well, I eh… I-I just want you to know that I understand how it feels to see your parents die in front of you like that."  
They all stared at him. Throttle and Modo shared quick looks. Their white furred bro never spoke about his past. Vinnie glanced at them from the corner of his eyes and gave his bro's a small nodd. Ah. Throttle now understood. Sharing stories would made Kiwi feel less alone. And then she would know they really understood. He cleared his throat.  
"Yeah, ehm… My mom and dad got caught in a explosion… Never had the chance to say goodbye to them. Or to thank them…"  
Modo stared at his hands.  
"My old grey furred mom died because of a heart attack, shortly after I've got this", he held up his metal arm. "My dad was never in the picture, but I assume he is also gone... "  
Kiwi stared at them, her lower lip trembling. Tears were streaming over her face. Here she was, sitting with three alien macho mouse, sharing stories. If someone had told her this months ago, she would have declared that person crazy. But then it hit her. They had the same experience as she had. They actually knew how it felt to lose your loved ones like that. They understood. They cared. They knew… That's why she had the feeling she needed them, right after she met them. She saw everything crystal clear now. She had a family again. A family, who was just as damaged as her, but who fought back. Who didn't gave up. Like she had done.  
"Guys…", she sobbed.  
"We are here for you, Kiwi ma'am. Always."  
Kiwi stared at the metal hand over her own hand. She smiled, despite the tears.  
"Thank you…", she whispered. But then she gasped.  
"Hey! What happened with the Loogie Brothers?"  
"Oh, don't worry about them, sweetheart…", Vinnie snickered.  
"We got rid of them while you were sleeping. And Limburger has some rebuilding to do… again", Modo smiled.  
Kiwi laughed, despite her sadness. That were her guys.

* * *

Please review! :)


	7. Chapter 6

Thanks for the kind words, you guys! Really appreciate it. And it keeps me motivated to keep writing! :D

* * *

 **Chapter six**

"Okay, you guys. You can use the garage to fix up your bikes. But please, don't…"  
"... touch the bikes. We got it, sweetheart", Vinnie interrupted her.  
After the fights they had here on Earth, the one with the Loogie Brothers now weeks ago, the bikes needed a pit stop. Big time. So, they finally had found the courage to ask Kiwi. They had no idea how she was gonna react, since the bikes in the garage, well actually the whole garage, was obviously very dear to her.  
"Right. And clean up after you're done…" but the mice were already inside the garage with their bikes.  
She smiled. After that day, when she had told them about her parents, they never spoke of it again. And she was fine with that. She wasn't ready to talk about it, not yet. But at least they knew now. And that was a big step into the right direction. She followed them into the garage and took place on the desk that was standing in the corner. She observed the mice while they were busy with their bikes. And one thing became very clear; they all loved their bikes, but Modo adored her. While he was busy with her, he softly talked to her. And the cutest thing ever; the bike beeped back. Kiwi smiled. It was adorable. Honestly. She had become accustomed to the fact that the bikes had their own mind sometimes. And they accepted her fully now. But she wasn't ready to ride one. She probably never would.  
Still smiling, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through the news. It had became a habit that she kept an eye on the news, in case Limburger was up to something. Since the Loogie Brothers, they hadn't heard from him yet. But his tower was rebuild, so it probably wasn't going to take long before he… Hey… she opened a link. It was an item about an experiment with sleeping gas in the prison. But because lack of money, it was cancelled. The gas was already brought to the prison, but tonight it was gonna be transferred back to the lab. Hmmm… It was a long shot, but still…  
"Hey Throttle? Look at this…"  
She gave Throttle her phone and he scrolled through the words.  
"Hmmm… Maybe we should check it out. Thanks, Kiwi", and he gave her the phone back.  
"Bro's, make sure the bikes are ready, because we have a guard duty tonight…"

Three ropes shot out of the back of their bikes and each clamped down on a rock.  
"Bro's… This is not what I consider being on guard…", Throttle sighed.  
The mice were sitting on their bikes, closeby the prison. But to kill the time, Vinnie had suggested to play a little game.  
"Ahhh, lighten up, Throttle. We're still watching the harmony", Vinnie said.  
"Yeah, we just have a little contest while we're at it", Modo added.  
Vinnie winked at his grey furred bro, knowing exactly what to say to convince their leader.  
"But of course, if you think your bike can handle it…?"  
Throttle gritted his teeth.  
"Handle it? My bike? Right… You're just worried about that tin can of yours, hotshot. First one at the big tree wins", he said, pointing at the tree a few meters away.  
Modo and Vinnie high fived, grinning. "Allright!"  
"On three", Vinnie said, revving his bike.  
"Come on, Lil' Hoss. Do it like I know you can", Modo said lovingly to his bike.  
"One… two… threeee!", Vinnie cheered and they opened the gas. Slowly, they moved towards the big tree, the bikes having a pretty hard job to draw the big rocks.  
"Come on, Lil' Hoss… Come on…" and Modo was the first who finished.  
"Yeeehaaaa!", he cheered. "You did it! Hahahahaaaa!"  
His bro's joined him.  
"Nahhh, your big behind gives you traction", Throttle said disappointed, but with a smile on his face. Modo shook his head.  
"Nope. All the credits goes to my sweet diamond over here", and he patted his bike like a proud father.  
His bro's smiled, but then they heard a siren. They looked up in the sky.  
"Wow, what's that?", Modo asked.  
"It's Karbunkle!" Vinnie pointed at a figure flying in the sky.  
"Kiwi was right. Limburger wanted that gas. Cut loose, bro's. Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!" and they followed Karbunkle. Back in the city, they parked their bikes on the rooftop from the building across Limburger Plaza and watched how Karbunkle gave the gas to Limburger.  
"Shoot a mic, bro", Throttle ordered to Vinnie and the white furred mouse did what he asked.  
Limburgers voice was heard over the speakers.  
"Well, your mission was successful, I trust?"  
"Gas for the gassiest, you fulsome fragranceness", Karbunkle said smiling.  
Limburger held up the gas, a big smile on his ugly, fat face.  
"Ah yes… Amazing isn't it? This one little canister contains enough knock out gas to make Chicago sleep for twenty four hours. All the time I need to cut it…"  
He pulled on a gas mask.  
"So good night, sweet citizens. I do hope you have pleasant dreams. Because by the time you'll wake, there will be no more Chicago… Muawhahaha!"  
"Really, he need to stop with that hideous laughing…", Vinnie mumbled, but his eyes grew big when they saw Limburger throwing the canister down.  
"Let's get that canister, bro's! Now!" Throttle ordered and they jumped off the building, driving down. They heard Limburger yelling, but ignored him. When they landed, Vinnie and Throttle stopped the traffic to give Modo room to catch the canister.  
"Fear catch!"  
"Easy out!"  
"Game over…"  
Modo gave the canister to Vinnie. But when they wanted to drive away, goons came out of every direction.  
"Whoops. Our adoring fans rush the fields", Vinnie smiled.  
"Time to play hardball…", Throttle said, his voice low. He clenched his fist and when one of the goons was close enough, he punched him straight into the face. With a loud crack, probably a broken nose, the goon flew away, right into the lap of his collegue. The buggy couldn't carry that much weight and collapsed, leaving the two goons lying on the streets with a dazed look on their faces.  
The bro's drove away and were followed by two buggies. The goons were firing at them, but honestly, where were they trained? Because hitting the target was apparently very hard.  
"These boys are hot under their collar", Modo said, shaking his head.  
"Then what they need is a nice, cool drink", Throttle snickered. They drove straight to a bridge which they knew was collapsed and fired their jets. They made it across with no problems, but the goons weren't that lucky and fell into the water.  
"Well, another successful saving of the city, bro's…"  
And they drove back home.

When they arrived there, Kiwi was waiting for them.  
"And?"  
"You were right, babe. He did wanted that canister", Throttle answered while pulling of his helmet.  
Vinnie held it up.  
"And of course, he didn't get it", he snickered. Kiwi wanted to take the canister, but Vinnie stopped her.  
"Ah, ah, ah, sweetheart. This is not just some gas…" but Kiwi held up her hand.  
"I know, Vinnie. That's why I want it to give it a safe place in the garage. Come on, give it to me."  
"Maybe if you say please…", and Vinnie gave her that arrogant smile of his.  
But before Kiwi could say something, a grey furred tail snatched the canister out of Vinnie's hands.  
"Okay, playtime is over. Here Kiwi ma'am", and he handed it over to Kiwi.  
"Thanks Modo! Thankfully, some of us are grown up", and she winked at Vinnie.  
"Hey!", the white furred mouse crossed his arms before his chest, clearly not amused. But the rest ignored him. It was already late and everybody was tired. Even Vinnie. So, after saying good night to each other, they all crashed in their beds and soon, everybody was deeply asleep.

The next day, they were lying at their favorite spot by the water. It was a very hot day, so Kiwi had decided to take a swim, no matter what. Vinnie was lying on his back, with his hands folded under his head.  
"Aahhhh… This is great", he sighed.  
"Yeah, even us interplanetary heroes need time off", Throttle agreed, who was also lying on the ground, but with his head leaning against a pillow he brought with him. Modo was busy with polishing his bike.  
"There you go, darling. Pretty as a one two punch…", he smiled at his shiny bike.  
"Hey guys!" Kiwi's voice. Vinnie's eyes grew big while looking at the human.  
She was standing in the water, her black hair was waving over her shoulders. She wore a small bikini and her sun browned skin glittered in the sun. Vinnie slowly got up.  
"Speaking of knock outs…", he growled softly.  
"You guys coming in? The water is great!", Kiwi said, wringing water from her hair.  
She didn't notice the looks on the guys faces, especially Vinnie's. But when the white furred mouse wanted to say something, a huge wave appeared right behind Kiwi. It splashed right over her and she ended up on the land. "Woow."  
"What the…", Modo started, but they already saw what was going on. A huge boat passed by, causing the big waves that made Kiwi end up on land like a stranded sea lion. Vinnie helped her up, noticing her bikini wasn't at the right spot anymore.  
"Eh, sweetheart?", he asked. She looked at him and saw his blush. He pointed at her chest and she looked down.  
"OH! I eh… Yeah… Thanks", she stuttered and turned around. Vinnie had a little smile on his lips.  
"It's Greaspit in that ship, bro's", Throttle said, mounting his bike. That took Vinnie's attention.  
"What is that oil leaking barrel up to?", Modo asked, putting on his helmet.  
"I don't know, but if Limburger's behind it, you know it reeks", Vinnie said, revving his bike.  
"Let's ride!", Throttle ordered. Kiwi quickly put on some clothes.  
"Guys, wait, what…" but they were already gone. "...about me?", she finished.  
They just left her. Alone. Shit. She needed to get out of here. Now. She quickly grabbed all the stuff and stumbled to the car. Leaving a cloud of dust behind her, she drove towards the main road, but when she looked at the water out of her window, she saw the ship was heading straight for the land. She stopped and looked closer. Was that Modo on the ship? But… A loud crash, an explosion and the ship ended up on land. Kiwi's heart missed a beat. No. MODO! She heard Vinnie and Throttle yelling and saw them driving to him. She jumped out of her car and also ran towards them, but she was still so far away.  
Vinnie and Throttle jumped off their bikes.  
"Modo! Get out of that glue!", Throttle yelled, his voice urgent.  
"Hussle bro, it's crime slime!", Vinnie screamed, but Modo was lying on his belly, reaching for his bike. Kiwi was running as fast as she could, but she wasn't fast enough. The sound of a helicopter made her stop and she stared in horror when a hook grabbed Modo's bike and lifted it up in to the air.  
"Not your bike any longer… I believe it's now mine…", she heard Limburger's voice. No. How could he do that to Modo?  
"And you two are… jailed gerbils…"  
Kiwi saw a huge box coming out of the ground, trapping Vinnie and Throttle. Shit. She needed to do something! She was standing on top of a hill, still way too far away from them. But she couldn't just stand here. She had to try. So, she started the trip down.

Meanwhile, Vinnie lit a flair and tried to cut open the box.  
"It's no good. It's Plutarkian steel! Man, what a time to be caught without a can opener…"  
"I'm worried about Modo, he was not looking too good…", Throttle sighed. Then he raised his voice. "Modo! Speak to me, big fella!"  
Outside, Modo was lying on the ground. He vaguely heard his bro's calling for him. The blue glue sticked at him and made him weak. It burned his skin. It gave him a huge, pounding headache. His muscles were sore. His one eye burned. But he couldn't give up.  
"My bro's… my bike…", he whispered, trying to get up.

In the box, Throttle and Vinnie were pricking their ears if they heard any sign of their bro. But suddenly…  
"Hey. Is it just the economy or is housing getting tighter around here?", Vinnie asked. But it wasn't the economy. Two walls were coming closer at them.  
Vinnie tried to push back one wall and Throttle the other. Their tails were lashing because of the strength they used. But it was no use.  
"We've gotta stop this thing… or we gonna be two old mice patty...", Throttle breathed, pushing with his shoulder.  
"...special sauced…", Vinnie growled.  
"... leather's cheesed…"  
"NO CHEESE, NO CHEESE! I hate cheese!" Vinnie's tail lashed through the air.  
"MODO!" they yelled in unison.

Outside, Modo heard them and he slowly got up. He looked at the box and saw what was happening.  
"No… my bro's…" and saw Karbunkle in the bushes with the controls. He crawled over to him and he punched him on the side of his ugly face. The weird doctor flew away and crashed against a tree. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran away. Modo let him go. He needed to save his bro's.  
"Nobody… hurts… my bro's…" and with all the strength he had left, he smashed the machine.  
That was the final push. Modo collapsed on the ground, his eyes closed. At that point, Kiwi stumbled out of the bushes.  
"Modo! Modo! Modo, are you alright?", she asked worried, kneeling next to him. Modo moaned, but his eyes remained closed. Shit. This was not good!  
She heard loud noises and she looked behind her. She saw Vinnie and Throttle fight themselves out of the box.  
"GUYS! Modo is in bad shape! We need to hurry!"  
Vinnie and Modo ran over to her.  
"We need to clean him, as soon as possible! But how do we get him home?", Kiwi asked, not knowing how to move this big body, who was now dead weight since he was unconscious. Throttle whistled between his teeth and his bike stopped next to him. He pushed a button and a rope came out of the front. He whirled it around his big bro and with help of his bike and Vinnie, he placed him on his bike. Then, the tan furred mouse took place before him and whirled his tail around him.  
"Pfew, he sure is heavy. When he is awake, we need to tell him he needs to lose some weight", Vinnie said smiling, but his voice gave away his worry.  
"Let's ride, Vin. Kiwi, go get your car and meet us home. Be quick!"  
Kiwi was standing there, feeling useless again. By the time she was gonna be at her car again, the mice would already be home. She wanted to help them, in fact, they needed her help. She knew where to find the first aid kit. FUCK. She made a decision, took a deep breath and jumped behind Vinnie on his bike.  
"Sweetheart, what the…" but she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his back.  
"Getting my car takes too much time. No go, before I change my mind." The mice did what she said and sped away. Kiwi was having difficulty with breathing and her heart was racing, but she needed to hang on. For Modo. For his bro's.  
Thank god, the mice knew how to ride fast and before she even knew it, it was over. She jumped off the bike, breathing heavily, but she didn't stop. She needed to keep going.  
"Carry him to his bed, I will grab some stuff to get off the glue", she ordered.  
The mice obeyed. When Kiwi ran into the guesthouse, Modo was already lying on his bed.  
"Take off his clothes", she said, grabbing one booth.  
Vinnie opened his mouth to say something, but when he saw the look on Throttle's face, he closed it again. No time for jokes. So, he grabbed the other booth and after a few minutes, Modo was almost naked. But that wasn't the point now. Kiwi grabbed the alcohol and poured it over his body. She rubbed a spot with a towel. Yes. It worked, just like she had hoped. She threw towels to the other two mice.  
"Rub him till everything is gone", she ordered and they did.  
Finally, when Kiwi was rubbing Modo's cheek, she sighed.  
"That's the last of the glue… but he is pretty weak…"  
Modo moaned, but suddenly, his eye flew open.  
"My bike!", he yelled and he jerked upright. Vinnie and Throttle tried to hold him.  
"This is weak?", Vinnie asked, with his hands on Modo's shoulders, trying to push him down on the bed again.  
"Wow, hey, easy big fella!", Throttle said, also fighting to hold Modo on his place.  
Modo's hand grabbed Vinnie by the waist and threw him into the air. The white furred mouse quickly grabbed the lamb and avoided with this to fall down again. Or to crush his head against the ceiling.  
"He is delirious, hold him!", Kiwi demanded, coming closer.  
Modo grabbed Throttle's arm and threw him against the wall. Kiwi cupped his head in her hands.  
"Modo! Modo, listen to me. It's gonna be alright. You are gonna be fine, but you have to rest…"  
That worked. Modo stared at her.  
"But my bike… Limburger got my bike…"  
Vinnie landed next to the bed.  
"We'll get it back, bro", he said determined.  
"You promise?", Modo asked weak.  
Throttle crossed his fingers.  
"Bikers honour."  
Modo grabbed both Vinnie and Throttle by their arm and looked at them, gratitude in his eye. But then, he fell back on the pillow, moaning.  
"You poor big lug… what has that reeking stinkface done to you…", Kiwi lay a hand on his forehead.  
Vinnie looked at Modo and then back at Throttle.  
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go dice the big cheese and get Modo's ride back!", he said, his voice low and soft. And angry.  
Throttle shook his head.  
"No, Limburger would be expecting that. I'm sure he's got a full squad of wrench heads on guard. Without Modo, we've lost a key player… We've gotta buy us some time..."  
"That stinking cheese ball better not hurt my bike…", Modo mumbled.  
Throttle smiled.  
"Hey hey hey, big fella. Your bike can take care of herself…"  
"Yeah, one thing's for sure… she ain't being a model prisoner…", Vinnie chuckled.

"My fellow citizens. As you know, an unexplained toxic spill is even now contaminating one of our fairest beautiful parklands."  
The mice were standing on the roof of a building and looked down at Limburger, who was talking to the press and people who were interested.  
"Unexplained, huh?", Throttle said, rolling his eyes.  
"I like to unexplain his…", Vinnie said annoyed, crossing his arms before his chest.  
"As you know, I have always had… special plans for this city…", Limburger said with a smile.  
"Yeah, to turn into a giant krater…", Modo growled, doing his best to stand up straight. He was still weak, but had insisted to come with his bro's.  
"And so, in the interest of the public good, I now volunteer the Limburger Toxic Clean Up Cooperation to take care of this tragic spill…"|  
The people cheered at him.  
"Of course, it will require a great deal of expensive digging, but I am prepared to pay for that. It would be a tragedy to put Chicago in the… hole…" and he chuckled. Kiwi was right. Limburger was a hero to this city, in the eyes of the citizens. Everybody was cheering at him. God, if only they knew…  
Big digging machines drove out LP and were guided by, no surprise, Greasepit.  
"We gotta stop him…", Throttle said.  
"And get my bike back", Modo moaned, holding his stomach.  
"We need a plan. Let's go back to Kiwi and think about one. And fast."

Kiwi had a thoughtful frown on her face. The mice had told her what Limburger's plans were. They needed to stop him. But how? She looked around the garage and suddenly, her gaze fell on the canister with the gas. Hmmm…  
"I've got a idea guys. But it's dangerous…"  
Vinnie immediately stood next to her.  
"Dangerous? As in… life threatening?"  
Kiwi nodded. "Yeah… And we need a volunteer for this… dangerous plan…" She winked at Throttle and Modo.  
Vinnie was bouncing on his feet.  
"Me! Pick me!"  
"Alright. Listen up. We need to attach the canister to your bike. Then, you drive straight into the building, letting out the gas. When everybody's asleep, Throttle and Modo have a free ticket into the building to get Modo's ride back. After that, you guys can do what you do best; save the planet."  
"But Limburger isn't taking any chances. We never saw that many goons with blazers standing outside…", Throttle said slowly.  
"That's why it's dangerous, right?", Kiwi winked.  
"It might be a catastrophe…", Vinnie whispered dramatically. But then a grin almost split his face in half.  
"That's why I love it!", he cheered.  
Modo and Throttle stared at him.  
"He's a wild man…", Modo said.  
"How has he lived this long?", Throttle wondered.  
"Well, if this goes wrong, he won't live much longer", Kiwi answered.  
Vinnie was already busy with attaching the canister to his bike. When he was ready, he put on his helmet.  
"Ready bro's! Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"  
"Good luck, guys…", Kiwi whispered when she watched them go.

The mice stopped close by LP. Vinnie watched the surrounding and did a quick count.  
"Hmmm… more than a hundred goons with blasters, lasers coming out of the building…" and he rubbed his chin. Then he smiled arrogant.  
"Fair odds. Let's do this. See you on the other side, bro's!" and he revved his bike. His bro's watched him go, feeling a little bit worried. But they knew he had good chance of success. His bike was the fastest, he had the best bike skills and the most important thing; he had absolutely no problem with putting his life on the line.  
Vinnie drove straight towards LP.  
"Let's shift into third", he smiled and fired his jets. He needed to be fast as possible, so he pushed his bike to the limits. The goons heard him coming and opened fire. But Vinnie was so fast, they couldn't hit him. Vinnie hit the accelerator and crashed through the window on the ground floor. He pushed a button on his bike and the gas came out the canister.  
"AAAOOWW, eat my dust, sweetheart!" and he drove through the whole building, leaving a trail of sleeping goons. He drove up to the roof and hit the brakes.  
"Yes!", he cheered. He looked down. "Now it's up to Throttle and Modo."

Throttle was driving towards LP, watching the destruction Vinnie had made. He smiled and shook his head.  
"You know he's loving this."  
"Come on, Throttle, kick it. My bike's in there!" Modo was sitting behind him and had no patience at this moment. He just needed his bike back.  
Throttle chuckled and drove into the building, straight to the lab. When they burst inside, Limburger and Karbunkle opened fire. Throttle did everything he could do avoid it, but they needed to get cover. So, they jumped both off Throttle's bike and hid behind a desk.  
"Well, we're not exactly in control of this situation, are we? Somehow, we've gotta find a way to take this freaks out…" Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Not us", Modo said. Throttle stared at him in confusion.  
"What do ya mean?"  
"This ain't our fight", and he raised his arm. He shot the chains that were holding his bike.  
"Go get them, Lil' Hoss!", he ordered an his bike beeped and revved her engine. She drove straight towards Limburger and Karbunkle and opened fire. The two villains flew out of the window.  
Modo jumped on her seat and hugged her.  
"Hahaha, that's my bike. Can she whip tail, or what?"  
"Yeah, she's the best", Throttle smiled. "But we still gotta do something about Greasepit and that toxic glue…"  
Modo's bike started beeping and flashing her headlight.  
"Hey! She is trying to tell us something."  
Throttle sighed and crossed his arms before his chest. "Oh, come on…"  
"Hey, I know my bike. What your saying, darling?", Modo asked, stepping off her seat. The bike beeped and aimed her headlight on a glass filled with orange powder.  
Throttle grabbed it.  
"Well, I'll be darned…"  
"Told ya", Modo said, patting his bike.

Once outside, Vinnie joined them. They shot ropes and the hooks clamped to Limburger Tower.  
"Time to save the park, bro's. And just to keep Limburger too busy to stop us…" they revved their bikes and drove away.  
"Let's yank…"  
"... and crank!"  
Because of the force, three big pieces of the wall from the ground floor came loose. That was enough to make the whole tower collapse, right over Limburger, who was still lying in the fontain where he landed after they were blown out of the lab.

When the mice arrived at the park, they fired their jets and flew over it, while throwing down the orange powder. The wind helped them with spreading it and when the powder made contact with the toxic glue, it melted away.  
They landed a few meters away and stopped. Throttle looked over his shoulder.  
"So, hey… Are we good, or what?"  
"The best! Always have been. Always will be!", Vinnie immediately agreed.  
Modo was still patting and hugging his bike.  
"You did good, bike. You did real good."  
Throttle revved his bike and popped a wheelie.  
"Come on, bro's, time to go home. Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

* * *

Puuhhlease review! :)


	8. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews, guys! :D

* * *

 **Chapter seven**

"Alright, bro's… Let's do this!", Throttle smiled and they jumped on the train that was passing by. It was loaded with dirt or something, but it was still a good ground to jump on with the bikes.  
They started singing, clearly enjoying themselves.  
"Trouble ahead…", Throttle sang.  
"Trouble behind…", Modo and Vinnie sang, while jumping off the train.  
They landed right before it and drove further, still having fun. Suddenly, splashes of oil landed right in front of them and the bikes slipped.  
"Hey!", Throttle said surprised, trying to get back control over his bike. He saw someone was shooting at them. Shooting with oil… And someone who looked a lot like Greasepit...  
"There is trouble ahead!"  
Greasepit was standing next to Limburger and Karbunkle, still firing at them.  
"Vincent, follow me", Throttle ordered. "Modo, stop the train!"  
"Ah yeah, sure. Give me the easy job…", Modo rumbled.  
"You can handle it!"  
"Oh momma…"  
Modo looked over his shoulder and fired his jets. He made a looping and landed on top of the train. He jumped off his bike and kneeled. He leaned forward and looked through the window, into the cockpit.  
"Excuse me? Would y'all mind stopping the train?", he asked polite, but the two humans stared in shock at him.  
"It's a train robbery!", one of them yelled.  
"That's ridiculous, we're carrying two hundred of car loads of dirt!", the other said, clearly annoyed because of the stupidity of his colleague.  
Modo shook his head and slammed his fist through the window. The glass shattered and he grabbed the handle of the brake. But he pulled the wrong way and the handle broke.  
"Uh oh…"

Meanwhile, Vinnie and Throttle drove straight towards Greasepit, who was still firing. They were holding a wooden plank and Greasepit and Karbunkle started to scream when they saw what they were upto. But they were too late. The plank slammed against them and they flew into the air.  
Throttle and Vinnie gave each other a high five.  
"Two out…", Vinnie smiled.  
"Now for the clincher", Throttle said.

At the same time, Modo was improvising in stopping the train. He attached one side of a rope at the back of the train and the other one at the back of his bike. He jumped off the train and opened the gas. His bike had a hard time, but it worked. The train was slowing down and stopped right in time, before it would drive into the transporter that was gonna transport the train to Plutark.  
"Pfew. Close one", he smiled and patted his bike.  
"You're the best, darling."

Limburger was driving away in his purple limousine, clearly happy with himself that he made it out in time. But then he saw the two headlights in his mirror and he speeded up.  
"I say it's time for a cheese sandwich", Throttle said to Vinnie.  
Vinnie pointed with a finger at the side of his helmeted head.  
"Oeoeoe, you've been reading my mind, bro."  
They also speeded up and Vinnie drove to the right side of the limousine and Throttle to the left side. They made Limburger turning the wheel and let him drive straight toward the transporter. Limburger yelled and climbed out of the window and fell down, screaming loud. The limousine wasn't that lucky and flew straight into the transporter. Limburger was still falling and landed into the water. The bro's stopped on the edge of the cliff and looked down, laughing loudly.  
"Hehehe, guess you missed the train, sweetheart", Vinnie cheered, waving at Limburger.  
"Hahaha, yeaahh, and now the big cheese is all wet", Modo laughed.  
"Blast, you meddling mice! I will get you! Mark my woooooooords!", Limburger yelled angry, while he was falling down a waterfall.  
"You can tryyy…", Throttle started.  
"... but it ain't gonna happen…", Modo rumbled.  
"'CAUSE… we're the baddest mamma jammers in the universe!", Vinnie finished arrogant.  
The mice high fived and drove away, loud laughing.

The next day, Kiwi was sitting under a parasol, watching the mice playing a ballgame on their bikes. They were lucky her yard was big enough to do such things. She smiled when she was looking at them. Since she had told them about her parents, and they told her about theirs, their bond had become better and better. She had learned the bro's were really good friends, knowing each other for years now. They had been through a lot together and their bond was unbreakable. Well, sometimes there were… small fights… But they always made it up with each other. One way or another. Sometimes they wrestled and kicked each others asses, but laughing out loud. She still didn't understand a thing about it. But hey, who was she to judge them?  
The sound of shrieking brakes brought her back to reality and she saw Modo and Vinnie crash into each other. What the…? She jumped at her feet and ran over to them, to see if they were okay. Vinnie was hanging over his bike and pushed himself up with his hands. His eyes were fuming and his tail was lashing through the air. Uh oh. Trouble in paradise.  
"You big lummox, watch where you're going!, ", he yelled angry at his larger bro, his fists clenched.  
But Modo was also not amused, his eye glowing red.  
"Watch it yourself, I had the ball!"  
Kiwi was about to say something, when Throttle joined them.  
"Wow, wow, wow, bro's… chill! It's a friendly game… remember?"  
Vinnie took a deep breath to control himself.  
"Yeah, yeah. You're right… It's cool", he said, but his tail was still lashing.  
Modo turned to Vinnie, his eye still glowing red. He clenched his fist and punched Vinnie on the arm.  
"Sorry, Vinnie my man… I didn't mean to wreck the game…", he rumbled and punched Vinnie again.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Okaaayy, here we go again…  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.  
"Oh no, it's my fault…", and he punched Modo back. But before things got outta hand, the voice of Sweet Georgie Brown echoed through Vinnie's speakers.  
"Weeeelll, we interrupt this show for a bummer newsflash, buddies… The big cheese, Lawrence Limburger, has just announced he is gonna cut the wildlife resu-uuurve… Looks like wipe out time for our furry friends in the forest. Later bro's!" and heavy metal started again.  
The mice looked at each other.  
"Now that really STINKS!", Vinnie yelled, slamming his fist into his other hand. But of course, he used too much strength. "Auuww…", he yelped.  
"Yeah… Just like Limburger…", Throttle said.  
Modo jumped on his bike. "Nobody's hurting furry friends while we are around. Let's go cream his cheese!"  
"Yeah!", his bro's yelled. Kiwi held up her hand.  
"Now just wait a minute… This sounds like a…", she started, but the guys were already gone. She shook her head.  
"Honestly, these mice… isn't it obvious this a trap? I better go to the reserve, maybe I can help", she talked to herself. She giggled and felt a tingle of excitement in her belly. Ah yes! It's time to rock and save the day without being the damsel in distress!

Meanwhile, the mice arrived at the reserve.  
"You know, bro's, something seems to be wrong here…", Throttle said slowly while looking around. It all looked peaceful and quiet.  
"You mean like… trees?", Modo asked.  
"Yeah… If Limburger would've wanted to cut this place down, you think he would've started by now…", Vinnie said, also looking around.  
"Maybe he had a chance of heart?", Modo suggested.  
"He doesn't have a heart." Throttle hit the brakes and his bro's did the same. "No, I think it's something else…"  
"Like what?", Vinnie asked, loss at what his leader was talking about.  
"A trap…"  
"Oh… yeah… Hey, wasn't Kiwi trying to say something when we drove away?", Vinnie asked, suddenly remembering this fact.  
"Hmmm… keep your eyes open, bro's. I don't like this…", Throttle said, looking around.  
Suddenly, they saw a red light flying right over them. The mice shook their heads.  
Throttle suddenly felt a anger he never had felt before.  
"Wow. Something ugly just flew by…"  
Modo was also very cranky all of a sudden.  
"You mean like your face?", he asked annoyed.  
Vinnie's tail lashed through the air and he gritted his teeth.  
"No, like your mom's…", he growled. Throttle chuckled at this retord. Oh boy. Modo gritted his teeth, his eye glowing red.

Kiwi jumped out of her car when she saw someone flying through the air. It looked like someone on a bike, but it wasn't one of her furred friends. Hmmm. It was way too quiet over here. Suddenly, she heard a growl and she followed the noise. She saw the mice standing, and wanted to walk over to them, but something stopped her. There was a red, glowing light around their heads and they looked very upset. What the…  
She decided to wait for a moment, to see what was wrong. Because something told her there was something wrong. Very wrong.

Vinnie looked over his shoulder.  
"Well what was that stupid thing anyway?"  
"Ah, who the heck cares, you moron, maybe a UFO."  
Vinnie clenched his fist.  
"Shut up, you ugly idiot! UFOs have white lights, not red. Everybody knows that!"  
Throttle intervened before Vinnie and Modo would attack each other.  
"SHUT UP! Both of you just SHUT UP! You're bugging me!"  
"Well, excuuuuse me, mister big shot", Vinnie growled and grabbed Throttle by his jacket.  
"Yeah, who put a knucklehead like you in charge anyway?", Modo yelled.  
Kiwi decided this was the time to intervene. She ran over to them.  
"Guys, what's going on?", she asked but the mice looked at her with fuming eyes.  
"Shut up, Kiwi!", they yelled in unison.  
Kiwi wasn't that surprised. She had already seen they were not behaving like themselves. Limburger must be behind this. But how…  
Throttle slammed Vinnie's hand away.  
"Listen up, hothead. Why don't you take your temperament tantrums somewhere else? I'm sick of you always showing off!" and he crossed his arms before his chest.  
"Well, I'm sick of you always ordering us around! I'm outta here…" and Vinnie drove away with dangerous speed.  
"Good riddance!", Throttle yelled and turned to Modo.  
"And you, if you would have a brain behind that muscle, you would be dangerous! Hit the road, Jack!"  
"Yeah? Well, the next time you need muscle in a fight, you're on your own, pal!" and Modo drove away, just like Throttle.  
Kiwi was still standing there. Shit. Now what? Three, hot headed angry macho mouse on the loose. What the hell happened? She walked slowly back to her car and grabbed her phone. But how was she gonna find this on the internet? This was scifi stuff. Hmmm… She suddenly saw a parachute lying on the ground. She grabbed it and saw a name on it.  
'Evil Eye Weevil.'  
She tried the internet, but could only find a stuntman named Evel Knievel. That didn't help… She needed to find the guys. And fast.

Modo was still at the reserve, sitting on his bike, feeling very guilty and confused. What the hell happened back there? He looked at the cows who were standing in the field where he had parked his bike.  
"Hey little doggies. I'm sure you're happy… Bet you didn't have your friends saying mean stuff to you… And I bet you never said mean stuff to them either…"  
One cow slowly came closer and looked at Modo with big, friendly eyes. Modo sighed.  
"I don't know what happened, but I'm not gonna let it lose me my best friends. I'm gonna find them, and make it up with them, right now!" and he swung an arm around the cow's neck.  
"Hey mouse boy! Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible..", he suddenly heard and he looked behind him. He saw two purple dudes pulling a tree out of the ground and that they were about to throw it to him. What the… He suddenly realized the cow was still standing next to him. He quickly pushed the animal away and wanted to aim his arm cannon, but he was too late. The tree slammed him down on the ground and knocked him out immediately.

"YIIAAOOOWW! Yeah!, I'm still the baddest mamma jammer on six planets! I'm Vinnieeee!" The white furred mouse cheered while he was jumping off a bridge. He landed on a big truck that was driving on the road and stopped with shrieking brakes. He still had that red haze before his eyes and the anger he felt was not normal. Somewhere deep down, he knew this was crazy and not right, but he just couldn't stop himself. The anger had completely taken over his body and mind.  
"Vinnie the awesome! Who needs Throttle and Modo? After what they said to me? Hey, forget it! Who needs them?", he growled. He suddenly heard something from under him and he looked down. Two hooks came out of the truck and grabbed his tires.  
"Well well well, hey mouse! Right now, I would say… you do!" he heard from the cabin.  
Vinnie felt confused. What the... Shit. They were riding straight to a tunnel. And maybe the truck did fit into that tunnel, him and his bike absolutely not. He stepped off his bike and jumped off, throwing two flares at the truck. It made the truck collapse before the tunnel, so his precious bike was saved. Vinnie landed hard on the ground and felt his skin rub over the asphalt. He rolled and rolled and came to a halt on his belly. He tried to get up, still very, very angry, but he felt the world started to fade.  
"Not one of my better landings…", he mumbled and he lost consciousness.

The first one Kiwi found, was Throttle. She had decided to start the search at her house. The tan furred mouse was sitting on his bike, staring down. She jumped out of her car and ran over to him.  
"Throttle! Throttle, are you okay?", she asked, touching his arm. His fur felt different than Vinnie's. Rougher… Focus, Kiwi. Throttle looked at her and even she couldn't see his eyes, she saw he was feeling sad.  
"Yeah, I eh… I'm fine. Hey, have you seen Vinnie and Modo? I like to talk to them. We eh… We kinda had words…"  
"I know, I know. I was there. But something happened. Something is wrong… I found a parachute with the name Evil Eye Weevil on it. Does that name ring any bells?"  
Throttle stared at her, his mouth open. He quickly recovered himself.  
"Yeah, I know him. He had a stunt show on Mars for a while… He also got a hostility ray… Oh yeah… That would explain a whole lot…" and he rubbed his chin.  
"But where are Vinnie and Modo?", she asked, her stomach tight in a knot because of worry. Throttle heard the worry in her voice and smiled reassuring at her.  
"Well, the only place I can think of, is Limburger Plaza. Of course, he is the one who is behind all this. Don't worry, babe. I will go get them." He revved his engine.  
"Hold the fort, Kiwi. I've gotta ride!"  
"Wait! Do you need… help?", Kiwi asked a little hesitant. Throttle surprised her by reaching out and gently taking her hand.  
"Believe me, Kiwi. I appreciate that. But this is between me… and the guys."  
He looked one more time at her and then he drove away. Kiwi watched him leave.  
"Careful, Throttle…", she whispered.

Throttle was standing on the rooftop from a building next to Limburger Plaza. He had a great view into Limburgers office and of course, he was right. He saw Vinnie and Modo tied up, Evil Eye Weevil with his two dumb ass sidekicks, Greasepit and of course… Limburger… Throttle gritted his teeth. He quickly checked the room again and spotted Vinnie's and Modo's bikes, chained up. In the same room. Honestly, was that cheese face that stupid?  
He saw Greasepit pointing at him and soon after that, Limburger too. Throttle revved his engine. Showtime. No fooling around. No. Nobody's allowed to mess with his bro's. With a push on the button, he fired his jets. When he shattered through the window, he drove right over Evil Eye, who was checking his hair in a hand mirror. Limburger was running around in panic. Throttle turned his bike and stopped. Greasepit was running towards him.  
"Got you now, moussie", but like Throttle had said; no fooling around. He clenched his fist and punched Greasepit right in the face. The big idiot fell on the ground and landed right on top of Evil Eye and his two helpers.  
Throttle grabbed his laser gun and shot at the chains that held Vinnie and Modo.  
"Yeah!", Vinnie cheered, rubbing his wrist.  
"That's our bro!", Modo smiled, aiming his arm cannon and he shot the chains that held the bikes.  
Limburger was pointing at Greasepit and Evil Eye.  
"Don't just lie there, you lazy hounds. GET THEM!"  
But the mice weren't in the mood for jokes and small talk.  
"Don't move, you slimeball…", Throttle said with a low voice.  
"...or you're cheese souffle…" Vinnie finished with a growl.  
Modo was gritting his teeth in anger.  
Suddenly, a red beam came out of Evil's Eye and it was aimed at the mice. But Vinnie jumped on his bike, grabbed the hand mirror that was fallen out of the hand of the villain and the beam reflected back. Vinnie grinned. Evil Eye lost control and his red beam was flying though the office.  
"Aiaiaiaiaiiii"  
"Too much bad karma in here, bro's…", Throttle smiled, avoiding the red light.  
"Yeah, let's get out of here", Modo agreed.  
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.  
"Let's rock and ride!" and with that, they quickly left the office through another window, leaving Limburger and the rest of the goons behind, fighting with each other.

When they landed, they pulled off their helmets and listened to the sounds of punching, scolding and swearing.  
"Ahhh… Music to my ears…", Modo smiled.  
"Yep", Throttle sighed happily. Vinnie nodded and turned around to face his bro's. He held up one finger in the sky.  
"Only one more thing could make this night perfect…", he smiled evilly.  
They jumped on their bikes and pushed a button. Cannons came out. They aimed at the tower. Vinnie was almost bouncing on his seat.  
"We're back!"  
"We're bad!"  
"We're mice…"  
"... and we're mad!", they finished in unison and laughed, while pushing the buttons.  
Rockets flew out, the biggest coming from Vinnie (of course) and the tower exploded. The mice drove away, high fiving and laughing.

When they parked the bikes at the guesthouse, Kiwi walked over to them.  
"Guys! Are you alright?", she asked, worried. She quickly looked at them, and her gaze stopped on Vinnie.  
"Look at you arms!", she said, while walking closer to him to check it out.  
Vinnie pulled off his helmet and looked. He saw multiple abrasions from his fall on the asphalt earlier that day.  
"Just some battle tattoo's, nothing to worry about, doll", he said arrogant. But Kiwi didn't want to hear it.  
"Quit your macho mouse talk. We need to clean them, otherwise they will get infected."  
She grabbed his arm and wanted to take him with her, but she noticed he didn't move. She pulled on his arm again, but still, no movement. She turned around and looked at him.  
"Vinnie, come on…"  
But Vinnie shook his head.  
"Nope. No way."  
Kiwi looked helplessly at Throttle and Modo, but they shrugged. They knew their younger bro wanted nothing to do with any medical help or whatsoever. Probably some trauma from the war. Not that he was gonna admit that. Neither were his bro's. Well, not in front of their bro, that is. They liked to tease him and make him feel embarrassed about himself, but this was different. This was real.  
Kiwi looked at Vinnie again. He looked down on her, with a arrogant smile on his lips. But she saw signs he thought she wouldn't see. His ears twitched a little, just like the tip of his tail. His eyes gave away something different then his usual arrogance and vice. She stared back into his red, ruby eyes.  
"Okay… But if it will get infected, don't come to me, okay?", she said, but on a friendly way. She had a feeling about what was going on here.  
"Sure thing… sweetheart."  
Kiwi's eyes spit fire and Throttle quickly intervened.  
"Let's go grab some hotdogs, bro's!" and they quickly mounted their bikes and drove away, Vinnie loud laughing.  
Kiwi clenched her fists, but despite her annoyance towards the white furred mouse, the look in his eyes had touched her. It made him more… human? She giggled. Something like that… There was probably a whole story behind his ego and macho behaviour. And she hoped she was gonna find out what it was. Someday… That's where friends are for, right?

"Kiwi ma'am. I heard from Throttle you stepped on Vinnie's bike to make sure you could help me… You know, that day Limburger took my bike?", Modo asked.  
They were chilling at the lake again and Throttle and Vinnie were busy with playing a ball game on their bikes. Kiwi stared at her feet.  
"Yeah, I did…", she said, not sure how she felt about it.  
Modo gently took her hand and looked her in the eye.  
"That was very brave, Kiwi. Thank you."  
She looked back at him, a blush on her cheeks.  
"You're welcome, Modo. I will do it again if I have to. You know, to help…"  
Modo gave her a little smile and pulled back his hands. He lay down on his back and folded his arms under his head.  
"Did you drive…" but before he could finish his sentence, Throttle and Vinnie joined them.  
Vinnie dropped next to Kiwi and grabbed a can of rootbeer. He took a big sip and burped loudly. Kiwi rolled her eyes. Throttle sat down next to Modo.  
"So… who won the game?", Kiwi asked. But when Vinnie opened his mouth, she already regretted that question.  
"Me! Of course. Did you doubt?", he said arrogant and Throttle sighed. Modo clapped him on the back.  
"Don't blame yourself, Throttle. One day, you will smoke him. And then it will be him who's never gonna hear the end of it.."  
"Hey! I heard that!"  
"Good."  
"Pfff, you guys are such bad losers…", Vinnie mumbled, just to have the last word.  
Modo jerked upright, but Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"Let it go, big fella. You know how he is."  
Kiwi giggled. She felt really small, sitting between three macho mice. But she never had felt safer. Happier.  
"So, where were you guys talking about?", Vinnie asked, curious as always. Kiwi held in her breath and Modo took the word.  
"Just thanked Kiwi ma'am for riding on your bike that day. To help me."  
Vinnie looked down at Kiwi and gave her a lazy smile. He swung his arm around her.  
"Yeah, sweetheart. That was awesome. And you didn't even hit me this time!" he teased, his fingers brushing over her skin. Kiwi felt his fur on her naked skin and his fingers on her arm. He was such a teaser, this mouse. She quickly made herself loose.  
"That's because Modo isn't such a pain in the ass and I wanted to help him!", she snarled, feeling embarrassed his movements gave her goosebumps and a tingle in her belly.  
Vinnie just shrugged and winked at her. Modo took the word again.  
"And I was just about to ask… ehm… did you ride a bike before the accident, Kiwi ma'am?"  
Kiwi felt her heart going faster, but she tried to ignore it.  
"No, I didn't. But my parents did. So, we used to go on trips every weekend and holiday. But I never rode one myself."  
"So the garage, with all the bikes and tools…", Throttle said slowly.  
"From my dad. He adored bikes. He loved it. When he wasn't working or driving, he was working in the garage."  
Kiwi saw a image from her father, working on his bike in the garage. She was sitting on that desk, watching him. Just like a son who watched his father shave himself, she loved it to watch him working on his bike. She shook her head. It was too painful.  
"I never liked bikes that much. I just loved to spend time with my parents. So, if that meant to ride on a bike a whole day… well… you know…"  
Vinnie smiled.  
"There is always room for two on my bike, sweetheart", he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Kiwi pushed him away.  
"Yeah, for you and your ego!"  
Throttle and Modo laughed.\  
"Guess she told you, loverboy", Throttle snickered.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
"Funny…"  
Then the group grew serious again.  
"Maybe it's a good idea to practise…", Throttle started, but Kiwi shook her head.  
"No. I will never, ever ride a bike again. Maybe only when one of your lifes is on the line…"  
"But what when it's your life that's on the line? What then?", Throttle asked straight to the point. Kiwi opened her mouth, but closed it again. Hmmm. Good question. She was living in a war now. She opened her home for three soldiers. Maybe she wasn't a soldier and this wasn't exactly her war, taking them in involved her into this war. So, maybe it would be a good idea to get over this trauma… But could she do it? Did she have the strength to get over this?  
"Ehm… Your point is well taken…", she said slowly. Her eyes were big and she looked at Throttle. "But… I'm scared…"  
"I know, Kiwi. But we will take it slow. You can trust us."  
And she did. Trusting them. But still…

That evening, they were standing next to the bikes. Throttle had suggested it was her choice wich bike she wanted to sit on. But she couldn't decide. The only thing that was on her mind, was the idea to sit on a bike again. Images of the accident flashed in her head. Cold sweat, her heart racing… suddenly, a hand that gently took her hand. She looked up and saw Vinnie standing next to her. He said nothing, but just held her hand. His bike came closer and he gently pulled her closer. Her first reaction was running away, but she didn't. The bike beeped and Kiwi smiled. Even the bike was trying to help her.  
She took a deep breath and walked to the bike till she was standing next to it. But then, the panic took over immediately. She made herself loose from Vinnie and tried to run away, but Vinnie grabbed her. Still gentle, he pulled her in his arms and held her.  
"Easy, sweetheart. Easy."  
Kiwi tried to control herself. She inhaled his scent, which was lovely and the feeling of his soft fur made her feel calmer. She was shaking. Vinnie said nothing, just held her. Slowly, she calmed down enough. Vinnie made himself loose and looked her in the eye.  
"You can do this."  
He kept talking to her, while he was slowly bringing her back to the bike. Kiwi kept staring in his eyes, held her fingers in his fur and listened to him talking to her. She hardly noticed he was helping her sitting on the back of his bike. He was sitting on the front seat, but backwards, so he could hold her and look her in the eye.  
"See? No big deal at all, sweetheart", he said triumphant.  
Kiwi came out of her trance and saw herself sitting on the bike. But there was no panic this time. She was just sitting there, with Vinnie in front of her, who looked very satisfied with himself right now. But she didn't care. He did a good job helping her.  
"Wanna go for a ride, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, with a teasing smile on his lips. Kiwi's head jerked up.  
"NO!"  
"Easy, just kidding, doll…"  
Throttle and Modo joined them. Throttle gave Kiwi a high five.  
"Good job, babe. You can be proud of yourself!"  
Kiwi blushed, still sitting on the bike. She looked at Vinnie, who was still sitting across her. Her gaze lowered and she saw she was still holding his hand. She quickly pulled it back, smiling nervously. What was happening here? She wasn't sure. Vinnie gave her a shy smile and stepped off his bike. Kiwi followed his example.  
"Thanks guys… I am gonna go to bed now. Good night!" and she quickly walked away. She needed some time for herself. To think.

The guys were sitting in the yard, enjoying one more rootbeer before they would go to bed. Throttle had to ask.  
"Is there something going on between you and Kiwi?", he asked at his white furred bro. Vinnie looked at him like he was on fire or something.  
"What? No way!"  
Modo wasn't convinced.  
"Yeah, right. So what was all that about, helping her on the bike?"  
Vinnie shrugged.  
"She needed some help. I gave it to her. No big deal, bro's."  
But his bro's weren't convinced. Of course, they knew their bro was more than just a walking ego. He was sweet, loyal and caring. But he didn't show it that often.  
Vinnie noticed they were still looking at him.  
"What?" Mister innocence himself. Throttle shook his head.  
"Never mind."  
Vinnie shrugged and was happy they dropped the subject. He glanced at Throttle. He wondered if Throttle might have feelings for Kiwi. But what about Carbine? He didn't ask, though. Unlike his bro's, he wasn't that interested in their love lifes. Well, maybe he would if they had any. But fighting in a war, well… there wasn't really time to have a social life. Let alone a love life. And if you were lucky enough to find someone special in a warzone, they just took her away from you. Like Harley. Or your relationship went to hell. Like Carbine and Throttle. He sighed. What a depressive thoughts for his normally joyful brain. He shook his head and grabbed a couple of flairs out of a small box. Thankfully, they had saved most of their weapons and ammunition when they jumped out of their ship. He put the flairs in the empty cases of his bandoliers. Then, he grabbed his laser gun and opened it. He changed the purple stone with a new one and with a click, he closed the gun. He aimed at a tree and pulled the trigger. The laser hit his target and left a huge, burning hole. Modo and Throttle looked up startled.  
"Really, Vincent?", Throttle looked at the tree and then back at Vinnie. Vinnie smiled innocently.  
"What? I'm just making sure I'm prepared. I could've shot at you, but I thought you wouldn't appreciate it."  
Throttle felt a pounding headache.  
"I'm going to bed."  
Modo also stood up.  
"Me too."  
Vinnie hesitated, but the look on Throttle's face said it all. No way he was gonna leave him sitting here by himself. You know, to avoid the white furred adrenaline junkie would destroy half the house or something.  
"Fine. I'll come with ya."

The next day, after breakfast, Kiwi suggested the mice would take a bath or shower. So she could wash their clothes. They stared at her in shock. Kiwi sighed and rolled her eyes.  
"What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"  
The mice shared quick looks. They didn't like to take a bath. But Throttle knew they didn't had a choice right now. Since their crash on Earth, they were walking in the same clothes everyday and he had noticed his fur was getting greasy. He sighed.  
"Alright."  
Vinnie jerked his head into his direction.  
"What? No way, man!" and he put his chin in the air while crossing his arms. The paragon of a child who's forced to do something against his will.  
Modo looked pleading at Kiwi.  
"Kiwi ma'am, is this really necessary?", he asked, polite as always. Kiwi smiled at him.  
"Yeah. You guys are here for weeks now and never took a bath. How did you do that on Mars?"  
"Well, we never took a bath. There wasn't enough water and ehm, well… We were kinda busy with other things", Modo told her. Kiwi bit on her lower lip, a thoughtful frown on her face.  
"And what about your clothes?"  
"We just wore the same everyday…", Throttle said, a little embarrassed now. He had never really thought about it, but while he was listening to himself and Modo, he started to understand where Kiwi was coming from. He scratched behind his ear, smiling sheepishly. Kiwi tried to stay strict, but she just couldn't. The look on their faces… priceless. Her lips curled into a smile.  
"Okay, listen. I will buy you some clothes, alright? So you don't have to wear the same every day."  
"Kiwi ma'am, that…", Modo started, but Vinnie interrupted him.  
"And what's the catch?", he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Modo was about to punch him for being disrespectful, when Kiwi started to laugh.  
"You know me to well already. Okay, hear me out. I will buy you some clothes and you guys agree to take a bath or shower say… once a week. You with me?"  
Vinnie opened his mouth, but Throttle was quicker this time.  
"We're with ya."  
Vinnie turned to Throttle, but Throttle gave him such a warning look, Vinnie bit his tongue and kept his mouth shut.  
"Okay. I need to know your size and stuff…", Kiwi mumbled, deep in thoughts. She pulled on the back of Vinnie's pants, searching for a label. She was too busy with thinking about their sizes, it didn't occur to her that their pants came from Mars and probably didn't had any labels.  
"Sweetheart, as much I like you're way of thinking, maybe this is too soon?", Vinnie smiled arrogant, looking over his shoulder.  
Kiwi froze. Shit. God. She could be so stupid sometimes. Of course there wasn't a label in their pants. They came from Mars. Duh. And why, for fuck sake why, did she choose Vinnie to search for it in the first place? She quickly pulled back her hands, a blush on her cheeks.  
"Ahum… Yeah… Eh… I-I will guess the size, I eh… yeah, that would be for the best, I guess…", she stuttered.  
Vinnie winked at her, but Throttle made his smile vanish like snow in the sun.  
"Come on, let's get clean, bro's."  
"Ugh…", Vinnie sighed and let out a stream of curse words in Martian. That resulted in a clap against the back of his head from Modo.  
"That is NOT how you talk in front of a lady!"  
Vinnie gritted his teeth, but closed his mouth. Even he knew not to taunt a angry Modo. Kiwi was recovered from her embarrassment.  
"Throw your dirty clothes in the laundry basket, alright? The basket next to the shower, guys. Honestly… I will wash them when I come back with clean clothes."  
"And what do we need to wear till you're back?", Throttle asked, completely at loss how these things worked.  
"Or maybe you prefer us naked? You know, to see if our new clothes fit?" and Vinnie wiggled his eyebrows. Throttle had it.  
"Okay, Vincent, enough. Get your ass into that shower, now!"  
Vinnie winked one more time at Kiwi and walked away. Throttle shook his head.  
"Honestly, that mouse… Anyway, where were we? Ah, what to wear…?"  
"There are hanging bathrobes in your closet. You can use them. I will be back soon, okay? You know how the shower works?"  
Throttle and Modo nodded.  
"We'll figure it out. Thanks, Kiwi. For all this. You're really caring", Throttle said, laying a hand on her shoulder.  
"No problem, guys. Be right back. Try not to break anything, okay? Please?"  
"No worries, Kiwi ma'am", Modo reassured her.  
"And be careful. Watch out for Limburger and his goons", Throttle warned her. Kiwi saluted.  
"I will. Bye!" and she walked to her car.  
When Modo and Throttle walked into the guesthouse, they found Vinnie on the couch. Throttle sighed and walked over to the white furred mouse.  
"Shouldn't you be in the shower right now, Vinnie?"  
Vinnies hook his head.  
"No way, man. Do you know how long it takes before my fur is dry again? The feeling alone… ugh."  
Throttle rolled his eyes. Sometimes… But he knew exactly how to make Vinnie do what he wanted. He gave Modo a small nod.  
"The last one coming out of the shower is a rotten cheese omelet!", he suddenly yelled and he and Modo ran towards the bathrooms.  
But before they even could open the door, a white blur flew past them and the door shut with a bang.  
"I am so gonna win this", they heard him cheering.  
Modo and Throttle gave each other a high five.  
"You take the other bathroom, big fella. I will go when you or Vinnie are done."

One hour later, they were all clean. Vinnie was very satisfied with the fact he won and even more satisfied that Throttle lost his own declared competition, so he wasn't even complaining about his wet fur. He hardly seemed to notice. They were sitting in the sun, in their white bathrobes, in the hope their fur was gonna dry quicker. At that moment, Kiwi came back. Throttle felt he relaxed a little. He didn't like it to let her go on the street on her own, but he knew he couldn't lock her away. So, he was glad she was back in one piece. She stepped out of her car and grabbed bags out of the trunk. Modo saw her struggle and immediately jumped up to help her, as the gentleman he was. He helped her carry the bags to the guesthouse and she started to unpack them. While she was doing that, she looked at the three mice.  
"You guys look much better, I must say. Did you like the shower?", she asked, while sorting jeans and t-shirts.  
"Yeah, it was actually quite relaxing", Throttle answered, looking at all the clothes. Maybe they weren't that long on Earth and he didn't knew exactly how things worked here, but this had to cost a lot of money.  
"Kiwi, ehm… Did you pay for all this?", he asked hesitantly.  
"No, I stole them", she answered nonchalant.  
The mice stared at her. She started laughing.  
"Just kidding. Yeah, I payed for all this. It's no big deal, my parents were rich. They left me everything, so money isn't a problem…", she trailed off, suddenly a sad look on her face. The mice didn't knew what to say, so Modo grabbed one of the jeans to take a closer look.  
"These are nice, Kiwi ma'am", he said, looking at the solid fabric.  
"Biker jeans. They look like normal jeans, but there is a kevlar layer in it. And knee patches. You know, to protect you when you fall."  
"I like it, sweetheart, I like it", Vinnie said, looking at the jeans.  
"Like I live for your approval", Kiwi snapped at him.  
Vinnie shook his head and slammed his hand against his forehead. Sometimes, he just couldn't get what was going through her head. The one time she was shy, sweet and nervous, the other time she snapped at him. Women…  
"I need to make holes in them for your tails, but maybe you want to try them first. You know, to make sure it's the right size…", she suggested. The mice nodded and took the clothes from her.  
It seemed Kiwi had a good eye for sizes, because the jeans fitted perfectly. She took them all with her, including a bag full with black boxers, to make holes in it. The mice dropped on the couch and Modo put on the TV. He opened a can of rootbeer. Yeah. He could get used to this life.

* * *

Please review! :) I really need to know your opinion :)


	9. Chapter 8

Thanks for the review! :)

* * *

 **Chapter eight**

Kiwi parked her car closeby the Meatpackers Bank. She sighed and checked herself in the mirror. She looked tired. Correction; She was tired. She didn't sleep that well last night. Or any nights for that matter. Those damn nightmares… She had practised with sitting on a bike every day now, and even though she made progress, it didn't stop the nightmares. And now she needed to go to her monthly appointment at the bank. Boooring… She stepped out of her car and strolled to the bank. She yawned and opened the door. The one good thing was that the bank had a air conditioner. It was summer in Chicago and it was hot. So, when she walked inside, the cool air immediately made her feel a little bit better. There was a long line in front of the counter. Typical. She sighed annoyed and closed in the back. She yawned again and stared at a spot close at her feet, her thoughts miles away.

Suddenly, a explosion made her fall on the floor. Her head slammed against the wall and for a second, she couldn't move. Shit. She slowly lifted her head and looked dazed behind her. Four men were standing in the hole that was made by the explosion. Four, heavily armed men.  
"This is a robbery! Everyone on the floor!", one of them yelled and he fired his gun.  
The bullets flew around Kiwi's ears. Shit. So far for boring. She needed to alert the mice. Thankfully, they had something figured out for this kinda situations. She slowly reached into her bag, looking closely at the criminals, but they were busy with scaring the rest of the people to make sure they would listen. Kiwi crawled into a corner and quickly pushed the button on her phone. She had made a app and when she opened it, a siren went off in her house and the guesthouse. It also sended a stress signal to their bikes. Luckily, she was handy with computers. She quickly opened the app and put her phone back into her bag. She lay down on the floor, right before one of the man looked into her direction. Pfew. Now fingers crossed that the mice were gonna be in time.  
Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long. The window from the bank shattered and three bikes flew inside and the mice jumped off. Throttle punched one goon right in the face while landing, knocking the criminal out immediately. Vinnie whirled his tail around another one and threw him away like the guy was nothing. Modo punched the third one knock out. Three down. One to go. The mice walked to the last one.  
"Well, let's make this short and sweet, bro's", Throttle said.  
The last goon aimed his flamethrower and a huge flame came straight towards them. They jumped out of the way. Vinnie landed on his belly and lifted his tail. The tip was on fire. He quickly blew it out.  
"Waaooww, toasty!"  
"Yeah, warm, but not burned. Modo, lights out!", Throttle ordered.  
Modo raised his arm cannon and shot at the chandelier that was hanging on the ceiling. The chain broke and the whole thing landed on all four robbers, since the first three were already back on their feet. One of them was carrying a bazooka and because of the impact from the chandelier, it flew out of his hands. Kiwi, who was watching everything from the sideline, saw the thing flying straight at her. She raised her hands and catched it, before it would crush her skull. She stared at the powerful weapon in her hands. Wow. Impressive. Heavy.  
Meanwhile, the robbers had enough.  
"Let's blow this joint!" and they ran out of the building. The mice jumped on their bikes.  
"Hey, hey, hey! The game's not over till the fat lady sings, sport fans!", Vinnie cheered, revving his bike.  
"Yeah, we're going to overtime!", Modo smiled.  
"Big time!", Throttle nodded. He quickly looked behind him and saw Kiwi sitting in the corner, still with the bazooka in her hand.  
"Kiwi, put that down. Are you okay?", he quickly asked.  
Kiwi came out of her trance and quickly lay the bazooka on the floor, like he was on fire.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Go get them!"  
"Let's ride!" and they flew out of the building. On the street, they saw the criminals had split up.  
"Vincent, you'll take that one. Modo, you come with me", Throttle ordered and they also split up.

Vinnie chased the green car full speed. When he jumped in the air and performed a perfect somersault, he cheered happily.  
"AAAOOWW, am I the baddest mamma jammer, or what!?" and he pushed a button on his bike.  
A rocket flew out and blew up the car. The vehicle flew into the air and landed upside down. Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.  
"That will teach ya a lesson, suckers!" and he turned his bike and drove back to the bank. He quickly jumped off his bike and ran inside, straight to Kiwi. The latter was still sitting on the floor. He kneeled next to her.  
"Are you okay, sweetheart?", he asked worried. She lifted up her head.  
"Yeah, just ehm… Yeah. You would think that I would be used to this by now, but…"  
"You will, someday."  
"Where are Throttle and Modo?", she asked, while looking behind Vinnie. The white furred mouse shrugged.  
"They went after the other car. I already took care of mine, but hey, what did you expect? I'm the best. Let's get you home, sweetheart, before this place is infested with cops", and he offered his hand to help her stand up.  
Kiwi hesitated, but her head was killing her, so she took his hand and slowly got up. Her legs were wobbling and she felt she was losing her balance. But before she could fall down again, two strong arms caught her.  
"Maybe you're not that okay as you said you was", Vinnie said softly in her ear. He helped her outside. She wanted to walk to her car, but Vinnie stopped her.\  
"You can't drive like this, doll. It's not safe. That coming from me is saying something. You look like shit."  
Kiwi stared at him. And then at the bike. And then back at Vinnie. He looked her in the eye, his eyes filled with determination.  
"Do you trust me?", he asked, unusual serious. Kiwi bit on her lower lip. Her hands turned sweaty.  
"Can't you just drive me back in my car?", she asked, her voice shaky. Vinnie rubbed his chin.  
"Nope", he said eventually. Kiwi looked at him with pleading eyes.  
"Please, Vinnie… I'm not ready…"  
But Vinnie didn't want to hear it.  
"You are ready. Come on. Just trust me, okay?"  
And she did. She did trust him. God knows why. The guy was a adrenaline junkie, drove like a madman and… and was also very sweet and caring. Sometimes. Like he was now. He would never do anything to hurt her. She knew that. So yeah, she did trust him. He guided her to his bike and she slowly stepped on the seat. They had practised this like a million times now, so this wasn't problem anymore. The bike started her engine, but that was also nothing new. Vinnie slowly pushed her on the front seat and took place behind her. He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her, so he could grab the handlebars. She leaned against him, against his strong, muscular chest and sighed.  
"You okay so far?", he asked softly in her ear.  
His voice was low and gave her goosebumps. God dammit. She nodded.  
"Good. Here we go, sweetheart. Tell me if something's wrong instead of kicking and hitting me, alright?"  
Still that low voice. She felt her body relax. How was he doing this? How… never mind. He had opened the gas and the bike slowly drove away. She squeezed her eyes, waiting for the panic to take over. But there was no panic. Slowly, she opened one eye. Vinnie was driving very slow, which was very unusual for him. She opened her other eye. She leaned against Vinnie, smelling his scent and a smile slowly curled her lips. She was doing it. She was sitting on a bike, without having any feeling of panic. And the bike was driving. Holy shit. She was doing it!  
"Can you… can you go a little faster, maybe?", she asked, still that smile on her lips.  
Vinnie immediately did what she asked. The bike speeded up.  
"Just give me a sign when we are going too fast, okay?"  
His voice. Jesus. She nodded. The bike kept speeding up and her smile grew bigger and bigger. She opened her mouth and let out a triumphic laugh.  
"I'm doing it! Vinnie, I'm really doing it! This is amazing! Oh my god, I'm doing it!" Her hands grabbed his arms.  
"Yeah, sweetheart. You are doing it."  
The bike was going faster and faster, but Kiwi wasn't scared. Not anymore. Thanks to Vinnie, she felt safe. Instead of fear, she felt adrenaline. And she loved it. Oh boy, how she loved it.

In the meantime, Throttle and Modo were having a hard time to grab the other two robbers. One was driving, he did have some good driving skills, while the other one was firing with a bazooka at them. Modo and Throttle swirled between the rockets. When a rocket landed before them, they quickly jumped over it.  
"Wauw. I think these guys have the answer at rush hour traffic, huh?", Throttle smiled, looking at Modo.  
"Yeah? Well, my bike wants to ask a few more questions", the grey furred giant answered and pushed a button on his bike. Cannons came out and he fired a laser. It did hit the car, but it didn't make it stop. The car flew around a corner and the mice followed them.  
"Man, we've gotta take this clowns down before they get to the pits…", Throttle sighed.  
Modo looked at him with a confused look on his face.  
"What pits ya talking about?"  
"Those deep craters outside town, remember? We saw them when we just came here and took a drive around the city. Limburger dug 'em before we came to Earth. Kiwi told me they were full with criminals now."  
"You think these guys came from there?", Modo asked.  
The guy in the car fired a laser and the two mice jumped in the air to avoid it.|  
"Do they look like boy scouts to you, genius?", Throttle chuckled while he landed. "Let's nail them!"  
They gained speed and both shot a rope out of the front of their bikes. The hooks grabbed the car, but still, the car didn't stop. It zigzagged through the streets, trying to get rid of the mice. But the mice didn't gave up that easily. They tried to control their bikes, but it was not easy, since they were dragged forward by the car. Suddenly, a street light came into view, right on their path. Throttle quickly grabbed his gun and shot it, so they could jump over the remains.  
"Haha, nice shot partner. We got them!", Modo cheered. But when Throttle looked further ahead, he sighed.  
"Oh boy… afraid you got that wrong, bro… They got us!"  
The car crashed through the signs with 'Dead End' and drove over the edge of a huge crater. The car fell down, followed by the mice, who were still attached to it with their ropes. The two robbers jumped out of the car and opened a parachute, waving at the mice who got dragged down into the deep crater.  
"Well, they may not be boy scouts, but they sure were prepared!", Modo yelled, looking at Throttle for instructions.  
"Cut loose from this junkkeep, when it hits, we don't wanna go along with it!" and they both pushed a button on their dashboard. The ropes flew back into their bikes.  
"So what's the plan?"  
"We gotta turn this freefall into a long, controlled jump. On my signal, we fire our jets!", Throttle ordered.  
"Think it will work?", Modo asked, a little worry in his voice. Throttle smiled.  
"You want a honest answer?" and he looked at the big guy.  
Modo had a thoughtful frown on his face. "Eeehhhmm…"  
Throttle rested his head in his hand. "Take your time…"  
"NO!"  
"Good, let's do it!" and they both fired their jets.  
Right in time, because the ground was finally in sight. The jets made sure they didn't crash full speed, but they did crash, knocking them out immediately.

The sun slowly dropped and Vinnie was watching out of the window. His bro's were still not back. This couldn't be good. Kiwi was pacing through the room. Suddenly, she threw her hands into the air.  
"This is ridiculous. They should've been back by now. Let's go find them", and she marched outside. Vinnie quickly followed her.  
"Grab a helmet this time, sweetheart", he ordered, while pulling on his own. Kiwi nodded and did what he said. Vinnie took place on his bike.  
"Ready to sit behind me, or…?", and he looked at her questionably. Kiwi jumped behind him.  
"Second row is fine. Let's go."  
Vinnie revved his bike and felt her arms wrapping around his waist. It felt good. He smiled and drove away. Kiwi opened the fence with the remote. She maybe wasn't panicking on a bike anymore, but jumping over a fence… well, there was something called exaggerating. They drove around the city, but no sign of Vinnie's bro's.  
"Let's get back to the bank and start there", Kiwi suggested. Vinnie did what she said. He suddenly saw tire prints and followed them. It brought them to a huge crater outside town. Traffic signs were lying on the floor, broken. It looked like his bro's had been here.  
"Yeah, when my bro's leave a trail, they leave a trail", he said, somehow proud. Kiwi gasped when she saw where they were.  
"Shit!"  
Vinnie hit the brakes and Kiwi jumped off the bike, pulling off her helmet. She walked to the edge of the crater, followed by Vinnie.  
"Shit. They must have gone into the pits… That's why they never came back…", Kiwi breathed, feeling a little bit of panic now. Jesus, this was bad. Vinnie kneeled down and looked into the dark crater.  
"Aaooww, now that's a radical leap!", Vinnie said, somehow impressed. He looked at Kiwi, who was staring at him.  
"They could've been killed!", she called out, her voice shaky.  
Vinnie shrugged, looking nonchalant.  
"Well, if they weren't, they just broke my high jump record…" and he rose on his feet again.  
Kiwi couldn't believe her ears. What was wrong with this mouse?  
"Vinnie, you don't understand! The pits have been taking over by some of the worst criminals on Earth! If Throttle and Modo are down there, they must be fighting for their lives! They could be beaten up, shot at, blown up…" but she trailed off when she saw the happy look on Vinnie's face. Was he… smiling?  
"Cool!"  
"WE have to do something!", Kiwi yelled at him. Finally, Vinnie grew serious again.  
"We are. We're sending... ME down there!"  
Okay. So far for being serious. Kiwi rolled her eyes and clenched her fists.  
"VINNIE! Be serious!"  
Vinnie still looked serious.  
"Hey, sweetheart! If my bro's are getting beaten up, or shot at, or blown up etcetera… Then Vinnie is gonna be there!"  
Kiwi stared at him.  
"Wauw, Vinnie… That's very noble…"  
Vinnie smiled.  
"Noble schmoble. You think I was gonna let these two glory hounds having all the fun for themselves? Right. Man, I can't wait to get down there!"  
Kiwi was still staring at him.  
"You eh… You're a real piece of work, Vinnie…", she said slowly. Vinnie winked at her.  
"Hey pretty lady, what took you so long to notice?", he said, with that low voice. Kiwi felt a tingle in her belly, but quickly recovered herself.  
"Can you jump down?", she asked, looking into the black hole. Vinnie rubbed his chin.  
"Of course I can, sweetheart. It's me we are talking about. But this time, I need to think it through. It's a rescue mission. What if my bike gets damaged, or something… Nope, we need a crane truck."  
"Sure. And where are we gonna find one?" Kiwi turned around, softly cursing to herself, but suddenly, she froze.  
"I know where to find one. Come on, let's get you ready!" and she jumped on his bike.  
Vinnie smiled. He started to like this girl more and more. She sure was on fire.

Throttle and Modo woke up with a startl because of water that was thrown into their faces. They tried to get up, but noticed they were tied up.  
"Ugh", Throttle sighed.  
"Man, my head's feeling like van Halen used it as a drum set", Modo moaned.  
Suddenly, a shadow fell over their faces. They looked up and saw a huge man standing at their feet. He was big, fat, blond and had a evil look on his face. Uh oh. Throttle lowered his gaze and saw that the guy held a long, electric whip in his hand. Double uh oh.  
"Sooo… It can talk too…", the guy said with a raw voice. Modo and Throttle shared a quick look. What kinda trouble had they gotten themselves into this time?  
"Seven foot tall talking mice on motorcycles… Man, they let anybody into this pits…"  
Throttle realised this was the boss who ran things down here in the pits. He got himself upright, despite the ropes, but the Pitboss kicked him right in the face and he went down again with a moan. Modo narrowed his eyes.  
"Hey! That's not fair, he is tied up!"  
The Pit Boss bend over and looked Modo in the eye.  
"Well, fair ain't how we do business in the pits, boys. And you better get used to that. Real fast…"  
Throttle moved his mouth and snout. Nothing broken, so far. But the guy sure had hit him hard. He looked up again.  
"What do you want from us, pitbreath?", he growled.  
The Pit Boss started to laugh, but it didn't sound that joyful.  
"Pitbreath, hahaha!", but then he grew serious again. "It's simple, pancake ears. I hear your bikes are pretty hot. Just what my Pit Crew needs. But the bikes seems to have problem cooperate. So here's the deal. You get those bikes to work for me and maybe… just maybe… I'll let you go…"  
Throttle shook his head.  
"No deal. No one rides my bike but me."  
"Especially not some ugly face pitbreath like you!", Modo added.  
The Pit Boss grabbed him by the ropes and lifted him up. Throttle's eyes widened. The fact that this guy could lift up Modo in just one movement, with just one hand… That was impressive. The guy was strong, alright.  
"Ohhh, big talk, fuzz face. But a bigger mistake…" and the Pit Boss held up his whip. "You just bought slave labour… for life… But don't worry; that won't be long… Muawahaha!"  
And he raised his whip. Modo braced himself and when the whip landed on him, he clenched his jaws not to scream. He was not gonna give him that satisfaction. Suddenly, it was over.  
"Bring them to their cell, guys! NOW!", the Pit Boss ordered and he walked away. Throttle looked over to Modo.  
"You okay, big fella?", he whispered, so soft that the crew couldn't hear him. Modo nodded and gasped.  
"Yeah… Little shaken… Let's hope Vinnie is having more luck than us…"  
Throttle smiled.  
"Well, given the fact he isn't here with us, I think he has. He will come for us. We just need to wait."  
Modo nodded.  
"Yeah… Let's hope it doesn't take him that long…"  
"It's Vincent we're talking about, Modo. He will be here. Soon. And we need to make sure to be prepared when he is."

Kiwi drove the truck close to the edge off the cliff. She had borrowed the vehicle from somebody she knew from high school, Ken. His father Mike has a business in rent out trucks and stuff. Luckily, he still remembered her and he helped her out, even it was almost the middle of the night. She hit the brakes and jumped out of the car. Vinnie was nowhere to be found. He said he had some preparing to do for his own and they agreed to meet here again. She shrugged and prepared the truck to bring Vinnie down. She was so concentrated, since she never had done this before and she tried to remember the instructions Ken had giving her. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed and whirled around.  
Vinnie stepped back, holding his hands into the air and smiled arrogant.  
"So, what do ya say, babe, do I look cool, or what?"  
Kiwi tried to control her breathing, her heart was racing in her chest.  
"You scare me like that again and I…" but Vinnie held up his hand to stop her. She closed her mouth and looked at him.  
He was wearing his new black biker jeans, and for the first time she had met him, a T- shirt. A black bandana, which was over his snout but he had lowered it when she started to scream, and a black vest with a hoodie. He did look… good actually. Kiwi felt a blush coming up.  
"You eh… you look great. Not sure why I am saying this out loud, but eh… yeah… You do look great, Vinnie…", she stuttered. Vinnie suddenly blushed too. Always fishing for a compliment, and the moment he got one, he always turned into this cute, shy boy. He gave her a shy smile and turned to his bike. She stared at it. Now she understood his need to prepare. The bike had even more weapons on it she had seen in her entire life. Not that she had seen that much weapons in her life, but still…  
"You think you have enough firepower, Vinnie?", she smiled. He looked at her, almost insulted.  
"Hey! I'm gonna save my bro's, van Wham style. It really would suck if I get outta ammo in the middle of a fight."  
Kiwi nodded, still with a smile on her face. But it suddenly vanished. She was worried sick about Throttle and Modo and now Vinnie was going down there, alone… What if he got hurt? What if they all got hurt? What if they never came back… she stopped herself. She gave herself a mental shake and with Vinnie's help, she attached his bike at the cable of the truck. He looked at the controls and of course, immediately knew how it worked. His bike was now hanging over the edge. He quickly explained her how she could lower him. He climbed into the cabin and set the radio on the same frequency as the radio in his helmet.  
He jumped out and put on his helmet, after he did the bandana before his snout.  
"Listen, sweetheart. I will give you a signal through the radio when I'm down. Let the cable hang there, along with the other two. When I've got my bro's, I will contact you through the radio again and you only need to push this button…", he pointed at a red button, "to lift us up. You understand?"  
Kiwi listened carefully and nodded. That wasn't too hard. She knew everything about computers and stuff, but controlling a crane… well, that wasn't a class at her school back then. Driving it was the limit.  
Vinnie looked at her and for a moment, it looked like he was gonna hug her. But then, he turned around, ran to the edge and jumped in the air. He grabbed the cable and swirled down. He lay down on his bike, like he was chilling at the beach and waved at her. Kiwi waved back and pushed the button she needed to use to lower him. Slowly, he disappeared into the crater and Kiwi held herself.  
"Be careful, Vinnie…", she whispered.

Vinnie felt his tires connect the ground.  
"I'm here, sweetheart", he said into the radio, while mounting his bike after he made the cable loose.  
"Copy that", he heard her saying.  
He smiled, but then his face grew serious again. He needed to find his bro's. And fast. He revved his bike and drove for a while. He suddenly saw a light coming from a building. Ah. A bar. Great. Sure there would be someone who was gonna tell him where his bro's were. And if not… well, he could be very convincing. No limits this time. He parked his bike and pulled off his helmet. He flattened his ears next to his head and put the hoodie on. For now, even he didn't like it and it was so not his style, he needed to keep a low profile. His tail whirled around his leg, so it wouldn't been seen that easily. He stepped into the bar and the door slammed behind him. Everybody stopped with what they were doing and stared at him. Vinnie smiled and walked to the bar.  
"A rootbeer, sweetheart", he ordered at the girl behind the bar.  
She was pretty, but not as pretty as Kiwi. He immediately stopped himself. He needed to stay focused. He suddenly felt something behind him and he looked in the mirror behind the bar. There was someone standing behind him. The guy was huge. And angry. And obviously looking for a fight. Vinnie smiled at himself behind his bandana. Good. He stayed where he was and waited till the guy was gonna make a move.  
"Ahhh, a rootbeer drinking guy, huh? Hey, you sure you wouldn't rather have a pink lemonade?", the guy rumbled behind him, provoking Vinnie. The white furred mouse felt his blood boil, but he remained calm on the outside. He looked over his shoulder.  
"Are you talking to me, sweetheart?", he asked innocently.  
The guy looked behind him.  
"Well, let's see… I don't see anybody else around here, so yeah. I must be talking to you."  
Vinnie grabbed the rootbeer that the lady had set in front of him and looked at the guy through the mirror.  
"Well, I wish you wouldn't. Your breath is awful, pal." Vinnie chuckled.  
The guy wasn't amused, though. He grabbed Vinnie in the neck but pulled down the hoodie in the process.  
"Hey! It's another one of that big mice!", he yelled in surprise when he saw the big ears from Vinnie. Vinnie smiled and lowered his bandana. Just like he had thought. Two big Martian Mice, that must have been the talk of the day.  
"Ah. So, you have seen my two bro's then?", he asked, still with his back towards the guy.  
But the guy continued threatening him, provoking him. Ugh. As if he had a chance. Vinnie slowly got on his feet and clenched his fist. In one movement, he turned around and punched the guy right in the face. The guy flew through the bar and ended on a table, which crashed under his weight. Vinnie walked over to him, his teeth gritted. He grabbed the guy by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.  
"I asked you simple question, sweetheart. My bro's. You seen them? Where are they?", he growled and his snout almost touched the nose of the guy. Who wasn't that tough anymore, by the way. He already knew he was never gonna win a fight from this creature. Another guy came running over to help his friend, but Vinnie saw him coming. He whirled his tail around him and punched him away with the back of his hand. He brought his attention back to the big guy.  
"Well?"  
"T- t-t-the Pitboss… H-h-he's got them… B-b-b-but they are giving him a lot of trouble and they…", the guy stuttered, his earlier bravado nowhere to be found.  
Vinnie shook his head in disappointment.  
"Ah, heck. I knew they were having fun without me…"  
He narrowed his eyes at the big guy.  
"Are they alright?"  
"T-t-t-t-they been sentenced to die… In the a-a-arena…"  
Vinnie let him go. He knew enough.  
"Ah man, I miss out on everything. Well, it's been fun guys, but I've gotta go!" and he grabbed his helmet. He winked at the bar lady and pointed at the big guy, who was lying on the floor.  
"Sweetheart, buy this man a rootbeer…" and he threw a coin that landed on the big guys head.  
He walked out and jumped on his bike. His bike felt his eagerness to fight and started her engine. Vinnie grabbed his handlebars tightly.  
"Hang tight, bro's. It's time to whale… 'cause Vinnie is coming to whip some tail!" and he sped away with dangerous speed.

When he flew around a corner, men popped up behind rocks and opened fire on him. But Vinnie was well prepared. Time to unleash himself, for once. No city to protect, no innocent people in the way, no Throttle who told him to be restraint… A big grin almost split his face in half.  
"Coming through! AHHAAHAHAA!", he laughed, almost maniacally. He pushed a few buttons and guns came out of every opening in his bike. He fired back at the criminals, without slowing down. Ah yes. This was great. He took a deep breath. Fire. Chaos. Destruction. Yeah. His way of life. He fired two heavy rockets and they exploded with such a loud explosion, even Vinnie was impressed.  
"Wow! I really should use them more often, hahaha!"  
He drove right through the flames, ready to whip some more majorly tail, or in his words; to party.

On the other side of the pits, Throttle and Modo were sitting in a cage. The cage was standing in the middle of some kind of arena, with tribunes filled with people. The Pit Boss was sitting on a huge chair made of stone. Throttle and Modo were captured for twelve hours now, and they were forced to work in the field. Meaning, helping with building another section in the Pit Boss his castle. But since obeying orders from the enemy was a bit touchy subject for the mice, they were already sentenced to death. No surprise there.  
"I'm stuck in Pit Boss's prison, and time keeps dragging ooooooon", Modo sang, but then coughed. They hadn't been giving anything to drink during their imprisonment, so his throat was too dry to sing.  
"Pfff, stop the singing, bro…", Throttle sighed. He looked around him. They were surrounded by three robots, waiting for orders. He wasn't worried about the robots. But they needed Vinnie to help them get outta here. He just hoped they bought him enough time.  
Then his gaze fell on the Pitboss, who was looking slightly concerned. Why would he…?  
But then he heard a loud explosion and in the distance, Vinnie's characteristics battle cry. A smile appeared on his face. Their bro was on his way. Biker Mice style. And great timing as always.

"AAAAOOOWWW! You are messing with Vinnie van Wham, the baddest mamma jammer this side of the asteroid belt!"  
Vinnie was shooting with his small laser pistol in his left hand and the biggest one he owned in his right hand. His bike was still driving full speed and he pressed his knees against the sides so he wouldn't fall off. His bike was also firing. The Pit Crew tried to stop him, but they weren't up against such heavy firepower. Rockets exploded next to them and they tried to hold the white furred mouse, but it was no use. His almost hysterical laughing gave them goosebumps and he kept firing, over and over again. They decided this was a living nightmare, dropped their weapons and ran away, screaming in fear.  
Vinnie stopped his bike and swirled his guns in his hands.  
"Hmmm… now, let see where my bro's bikes could be…" and he turned on the scanner on his bike. Two mice shaped heads flickered on the screen.  
"BINGO! Love ya babe, now start cooking!" and he drove further.

Throttle and Modo were standing in front of the Pit Boss. Their hands were still tied with chains. Loud explosions were heard, and it sounded like they were coming closer. And Vinnie… Well, by the sound of it, he must be having the time of his life. Throttle and Modo shared a smile and looked at the Pitboss.  
"Hmmm… Something happening out there?", Throttle asked casually.  
The Pit Boss still looked a little bit concerned, but he shook his head.  
"Nothing that concerns you. But this does…" and he raised his whip. When it touched one of the robots, they all came to life.  
"No one fights the power of the Pitboss."  
One of the robots drove towards Throttle, with dangerous looking weapons instead of hands. But Throttle was ready. He grabbed the chain around his hands and whirled it in the air. He threw it and the chain wrapped around the robots arm. The tan furred mouse yanked and the robot fell forward on the floor, and because of the force, it immediately exploded.  
"You know, it's funny…", Throttle started and he grabbed the arm of the robot.  
"You sound a lot like a overripe cheese ball we know…"  
He slammed with the robot arm on the chains that was holding Modo's arm cannon down. The chain immediately broke.  
"He is always saying stuff like that too…", Modo smiled, raising his arm cannon to shoot the other two robots. They exploded into a thousand pieces.  
"Yeah, but things never work out his way either…", Throttle smiled, while Modo shot his chains.  
The wall from the arena exploded and Vinnie flew inside, along with their bikes.  
"Because we are the Biker Mice From Mars!", he cheered, stopping next to his bro's.  
Throttle and Modo laughed and high fived Vinnie, before they mounted their bikes.  
"Destroy them!", the Pit Boss ordered. One guy next to him raised his gun, but Vinnie shot it out of his hands.  
"Not gonna happen, sweetheart", he smiled, while blowing the smoke away from his gun.  
"You'll never make it, Biker Mice… Every criminal in the pits will be gunning for you…"  
Throttle and Modo closed their visors and revved their bikes.  
"Well, when the going gets tough…", Modo started.  
"The tough whip tail!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Battle mode, bro's!", Throttle ordered. "Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

They fired their jets and drove up using the tribune. When Vinnie flew next to the Pit Boss, he kicked him right in the face, making the big guy falling down.  
"Get them… GET THEEEEEM!", he roared in rage.  
The mice jumped off the stadium.  
"Follow me, bro's! I've got our ticket outta here!", Vinnie yelled, taking the lead. His bro's followed him.  
"Let's give the Pitboss his new digs a little housewarming", Throttle ordered.  
"AAAOOWW, it this the ultimate male bonding, or what?", Vinnie cheered. His bro's smiled.  
When they drove around a corner, the Pit Crew who was hiding there, opened fire. The bro's did the same. The criminals didn't had a chance. When they drove further, they all three fired rockets out of the back of their bikes and the castle from the Pit Boss exploded.  
"Be ever so humble, there's no place like hoooome!", the mice sang in unison.  
They reached the cables and quickly attached them at their bikes.  
"Yo, sweetheart! We're back! Push the button, NOW!", Vinnie cheered into his radio, looking over his shoulder. He could see In the distance there were coming more men towards them.  
"Copy that, macho mouse!", he heard Kiwi's voice and after a short moment, they rose into the air. Vinnie waved at the guys on the ground.  
"Toodles!"  
When they were back on safe ground, Kiwi ran towards them.  
"Oh my god, Throttle, Modo, are you alright?" and she gave them both a big hug. They smiled.  
"Beside the fact we're bruised, tired and hungry, we're fine", Throttle said, weeping through her hair. Kiwi sighed with relief.  
"Thank god, that are things we can fix."  
Her gaze fell on Vinnie. He was dirty from the fight, his pants were torn, just like his hoodie. But he never had looked better. And he was fine. And alive. Without thinking, she jumped in his arms.  
"Good job, Vinnie", she whispered. Vinnie was a little surprised at first, but then wrapped his arms around her.  
"Thanks, Kiwi."  
She felt a tingle in her belly when he said her real name. But suddenly, she realized what she was doing. She quickly untangled herself and bit on her lower lip. Vinnie gave her a arrogant smile. Throttle cleared his throat.  
"Let's go home, guys", Kiwi quickly said and she climbed behind Vinnie. Throttle and Modo almost fell off their bikes.  
"Kiwi ma'am, what…", Modo started.  
"Oh! Oh yeah, I eh… I kinda overwon my trauma!", Kiwi interrupted him. Throttle and Modo stared at her.  
"Wauw, Kiwi! That is… amazing!", Throttle called out.  
"Yeah, I know right? But without Vinnie, I couldn't have done it!" and she clapped Vinnie on the back.  
Throttle smiled at his white furred bro.  
"Yeah… We also couldn't have got away today without you, Vinman. Thanks for the back up."  
"Yeah, little bro. And perfect timing, as always!", Modo added.  
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.  
"I'm still the best! Better than the best!"  
"Alright, let's ride before his head explodes. Let's rock…"  
"... and RIDE!"

* * *

Really had fun writing this chapter. A little bonding between Kiwi and Vinnie, Vinnie being the hero and all. The Pits always has been one of my favorite episodes. But hey, I'm a Vinnie fan, in case you didn't notice :P  
Please review! :)


	10. Chapter 9

You guys... Sorry for the long time between updates, I know that is not my usual style. But I was on holiday for three weeks and didn't had the time to write.  
But, I'm back now and here is the next chapter!

Oh, and thanks for the reviews, of course! :)

* * *

 **Chapter nine**

"AAAAOOWW!", Vinnie cheered while driving full speed towards the oil pond on the ground. There was a bottle standing at the end of it and he turned his bike, slide and stopped, inches before the bottle. He cheered again and carved his name in the pond.  
"YES! I beat Throttle! I'm the baddest mamma jammer this side of Beetlejuice!", and he pumped his fist in the air.  
Throttle and Modo waved back at the happy white furred mouse, but Throttle glanced at Modo.  
"You better smoke him, or we'll never hear the end of this", he said softly.  
"No sweats, part. Nobody beats me with Brodies and Bottles", Modo said confident.  
Vinnie drove towards them.  
"Man, I can't believe Kiwi missed out such a monumental triumph!"  
"She will be here soon, Vinman", Throttle said.  
Kiwi was driving the crane truck back to his owner. The mice had escorted her at first, but Vinnie started a competition and his bro's quickly followed him, only to avoid he would win. When they arrived at the place where Kiwi needed to deliver the truck, they had a major heads up, so Modo had suggested to play a little game of Brodies and Bottles to kill the time.  
Modo smiled and drove away. He did the same as Vinnie did, but he came closer to the bottle. He raised his arm cannon and used his laser to carve his name.  
"Smoked…", he smiled.  
Vinnie pouted.  
"Yeah, well… That's because I cleared the track for ya…"  
Throttle laughed and looked over his shoulder when they heard a honk in the distance.  
"Well, tell that to Kiwi. Here comes the lady now!"  
"Cool! And when she gets here, I'll take another shot…", Vinnie babbled exited.

Kiwi yawned and saw that she finally was close at Mike's place. She saw the mice in the distance and she wanted to slow down to make the turn. But the truck didn't slow down. What the… She slammed her foot on the brake pedal, but it was no use. The brakes weren't working and the gaspedal was stuck. SHIT. She hit the claxon and the mice looked up. She hit the claxon again. She was driving straight towards them and there was nothing she could do. And why was Modo still in the middle off the road? Panic slowly took over while she was still trying to hit the brakes, but it was no use. Suddenly, the door flew open and Vinnie climbed in. He pushed her aside and sat down behind the wheel.  
"What the hell is wrong with you, sweetheart, driving like that…" but he trailed off when he noticed the truck wasn't responding. And that they were driving straight towards his bro, who was still standing on the road. But suddenly, Throttle came into view and grabbed Modo.  
Kiwi was about to yell at him for being so rude at her, while she was so scared, but he suddenly grabbed her.  
"We need to get out of this truck, NOW."  
Kiwi looked one more time out the window. She just wished she didn't. The truck was about to crash against a huge, thankfully empty, building.  
But Vinnie wasn't planning on letting that happen. Well, not with them still in the cabine, that is. He wrapped his arms around her and opened the door. Without any hesitation, he jumped out. Kiwi screamed in fear, but when they landed on the ground, Vinnie took the full hit. She felt his strong arms around her, his legs were holding her legs and his tail was wrapped around her waist. His right arm landed on the ground first, shortly after that; his head. They rolled over the asphalt and right before they stopped, she could feel his body completely relax and she fell out of his arms. Vinnie ended up on his belly and didn't move. Shit.  
She crawled over to him. She tried to say his name, but her voice failed on her. She cleared her throat and tears filled her eyes.  
"Vinnie", she whispered. When she reached him, she quickly checked his pulse. Thank god. He was still alive. But unconscious. Shit. She looked around her and saw Throttle and Modo lying on the ground, their bikes next to them.  
"Throttle! Throttle, please! It's Vinnie! He's hurt!", she managed to scream.  
That took the attention from the tan furred mouse. He slowly got up and walked over to them.  
"Is it bad?", he asked, kneeling down at his white furred bro, calm as always.  
"I don't know… He's unconscious…. His head slammed against the ground, he… he…" her voice broke. Tears streamed down over her face. What if he never woke up? What if he died, because of saving her? Throttle quickly checked Vinnie and looked at Kiwi.  
"Kiwi, try to calm down. We need to help him."  
Kiwi wiped away her tears with shaking hands and took a few, deep breaths.  
"Yeah… Yeah… What about Modo?", she asked, when she saw the grey furred giant was still sitting on the same spot.  
"He broke his leg because of my not so smooth rescue mission."  
"Shit. We need to bring them home, now", she said, slowly standing up. Throttle looked up at her.  
"You okay?"  
A hint of worry in his calm, husky voice. Kiwi nodded.  
"Yeah, sorta."  
"Good" and Throttle whistled between his teeth.  
Vinnie's bike stopped next to Kiwi, Throttle's bike next to Throttle. The tan furred mouse walked over to Modo.  
"You think you can sit on your bike to drive home, big fella?", he asked, helping Modo up. Modo gritted his teeth, but nodded.  
"Yeah, I think I can. How's Vinnie?"  
"Unconscious. We need to get him home as soon as possible."  
Modo carefully swung his broken leg over his bike, moaning in pain. His bike beeped worried at him.  
"I'm fine, little darling", he said softly, patting her side. "But you need to drive home, okay?"  
His bike beeped again.  
Throttle walked over to Kiwi.  
"You can ride with Modo", but as soon as the words came out of his mouth, Kiwi's eyes grew big and her breathing fastened.  
"No! No, I... I…"  
Throttle studied her face and saw her gaze landing on Vinnie. Ah.  
"You dare to ride his bike then? You know her and she knows you. Does that feel okay for you?"  
"I eh… I never rode a bike before…"  
"You only have to sit and hold tight, she will do the rest."  
"Oh… okay…"  
Kiwi slowly sat down on Vinnie bike and the bike beeped at her. She smiled. Riding on another bike without Vinnie was too much now. She looked how Throttle carefully lifted up his white furred bro and set him on his bike. He took place behind him, so he could hold him. Just like Vinnie had done when he drove her home after what happened in the bank. It was only yesterday. Hard to believe. It felt like ages ago. The bike beeped and revved her engine. Throttle took the lead and the other two followed him. No cheering, no yelling, no 'rock and ride', no… total silence.

"I'm no doctor, Throttle. I know something about first aid, but that's it. This is way beyond my capabilities…", Kiwi said, looking at Vinnie.  
He was lying on the big couch in the living room of her house. Throttle had pulled off his helmet and she saw how his metal mask had cut into his flesh. But that wasn't their biggest concern right now. Right now, he was unconscious and only God knew how badly he was injured. Modo was lying on the other couch, his leg lying on a pillow. She looked at Throttle.  
"We need a doctor, Throttle…", she said softly. Throttle shook his head.  
"No. Nobody can know about us, Kiwi. You know that…"  
"I know someone, she… she helped me, after the accident. I trust her… you can trust her, Throttle…"  
But the tan furred mouse didn't want to hear it.  
"No. We…", but Modo interrupted him.  
"Listen, bro. I know ya, and I'm with ya. But I don't think we have a choice right now. Vinnie needs help."  
Kiwi looked grateful to him.  
"And you need help too", she added. Modo nodded.  
Throttle knew the big fella was right. But still… He turned to Kiwi.  
"You sure we can trust her? That our secret is safe with her?"  
Kiwi nodded. "Yes. I promise you."  
Throttle nodded and looked at Vinnie with a worried look on his face.  
"Okay, fine. Call her."

When she heard a car approaching, Kiwi ran outside. She saw her doctor and only friend stepping out of her car.  
"Ruby! I'm so glad you could come so fast!", Kiwi yelled and hugged the tall, red headed woman.  
"What is it that is so urgent?", Ruby asked. Straight to the point, as always. That was what Kiwi liked so much about her.  
"I eh… Listen, I have these friends… And they don't look… well, they aren't human. They eh… well, you will see it for yourself. But two of them are hurt and need medical help. But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this…"  
Ruby stared at her and felt on Kiwi's head.  
"No fever. You sure you aren't hallucinating or something? This is the weirdest thing that ever came out of your mouth and that's saying something…"  
Kiwi laughed, she just couldn't help it.  
"I know it sounds weird, but you will understand when you see them. I will explain everything later, but now, they need help…"  
Ruby shrugged.  
"Fine. I promise I won't tell anyone. Now, bring me to these friends of yours."  
Kiwi noticed a little skepticism in Ruby's voice. She couldn't blame her. She quickly walked back inside and Ruby followed her. When they entered the living room, Ruby stopped death in her tracks.  
"Oh! You weren't joking…", she said toneless, staring at the mice. But when she saw Vinnie, she quickly recovered herself. Weird creatures or not, she was a doctor and that one clearly needed help. With a firm step, she walked over to the couch and kneeled down. She looked at Vinnie's body. Hmmm… except for the fur and tail, it looked a lot like a human body.  
"What happened to him?", she asked, when she started to examine him.  
"He jumped out of a driving truck and landed hard on the ground", Kiwi said.  
She saw Throttle and Modo were looking carefully how this stranger was gonna treat their younger bro. She gave them a reassuring smile and brought her attention back to Ruby.  
"Ah okay. So, they can't fly", Ruby said drily and grabbed her bag with supplies.  
"He broke his right arm, right about here…", she said, while she was moving Vinnie's arm. They could hear the bones scraping past each other. Kiwi wrinkled her nose and felt goosebumps on her skin.  
"Okay, okay. What further?"  
"He took a hard hit, but by the looks of things, he is fine. Well, he has a concussion, obviously. Look, without a scan or X Ray, I can't tell exactly what is going on. But I used to work in the field with soldiers. I didn't had scans or X rays there either. So, based on my experience, I think he will be fine."  
Everybody let out a sigh of relief.  
"I will put a cast on his arm and you guys need to make sure you'll be here when he wakes up. Ask him some questions, to make sure he is clear in the head. Tonight, wake him up every two hours and do the same. Got that?", Ruby said, while looking through her stuff. She cleaned the wound on Vinnie's head. Suddenly, she looked at Throttle and Modo.  
"Any experience with medical drugs, how your body reacts on them?", she asked bluntly.  
Throttle stared at her, but quickly recovered.  
"Ehm, only on Mars…", he said sheepishly.  
Ruby nodded, like this was a supernormal answer to her question.  
"Okay, then we have to hope you guys react good on Earth drugs", and she grabbed a bottle and a syringe.  
"He needs to have some painkillers, because unconscious or not, he is gonna need them when I set his arm,", and she pushed the needle into the bottle.  
But right when she wanted to inject Vinnie in the arm, his eyes flew open. He wildy looked around him and the first thing that hit him, was the smell of alcohol and disinfectants. You know, that weird scent you only smell in hospitals. And the first thing he saw was a huge needle, close to his face.  
"NO!", he yelled and jumped on his feet, pushing Ruby away. She fell with her back against the table, but immediately stood up. Throttle came into action almost the same time as Vinnie. He grabbed his white furred bro right in time, because Vinnie almost collapsed because of the pain in his arm and head. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide open.  
"No, bro, please, don't do this to me… don't make me go through all that again…", he gasped, grabbing Throttle. His tail was lashing through the air.  
"Wow, hey, easy, Vincent. Easy. You are at Kiwi's house. You saved Kiwi, remember? You jumped out of the truck to save her, but you broke your arm and hit your head. This girl over here is Ruby. She is a doctor and she is gonna help ya…"  
Vinnie shook his head, struggling to get out of Throttle's grip. The only thing that was going through his head, that he needed to get out of here. Throttle needed all his strength to hold him.  
Kiwi was staring at this. What in the world… Gone was the arrogance. Gone was the bravado. Gone was the macho mouse. What was left, was panic. Fear. A trauma…  
She suddenly remembered how he had reacted when she only wanted to clean his wounds on his arms. And now he woke up, no idea where he was, with a big needle in front of him. No wonder he got scared. She quickly walked over to the two struggling mice and grabbed Vinnie's hand. He stopped struggling and looked at her, pleading.  
"Vinnie, easy now… It's gonna be okay… She is here to help you... "  
Slowly, Vinnie calmed down a little. Enough for Ruby to make her move. She slammed a needle in his neck and Vinnie's hand flew to the place where he felt the sting. But soon, his eyes rolled back in his head and his body relaxed. Throttle lay him back on the couch.  
"Pfew, some fast moves you got there, babe", he breathed, looking at Ruby. She looked at him, almost a cold look in her eyes.  
"I worked with soldiers. I know how to recognize a trauma. And I also know that sedating them is the only way to calm them down."  
Throttle nodded, not knowing why she was so… distant. He slowly sat down on the other couch again, next to Modo. Kiwi was still holding Vinnie's hand and Ruby could finally do her job.

A hour later, Ruby was gone. Modo was lying on the couch, now with a cast on his leg. She had gave him some painkillers too, and they were strong enough to knock him down. He was snoring loudly. Throttle was sitting next to him, a thoughtful frown on his face. Kiwi was sitting next to Vinnie, holding his hand. He also had a cast, but around his right arm. He was still out from the sedatives. She was also deep in thoughts.  
"Why…", both Throttle and Kiwi started at the same time. Throttle smiled.  
"You go first", he said, but already knowing what she was gonna ask.  
"Why did he react this way?", she simply asked. Throttle sighed.  
"He… Look, he never talks about this. We don't even know the whole story. But something happened to him and because of that, he doesn't want anything to do with any medical help whatsoever..."  
Kiwi's heart broke a little. Poor Vinnie. She never had really thought about it, but they must have had a pretty hard time back on Mars. She looked at the white furred mouse, who was looking like a sleeping child right now. His face completely relaxed, his bravado nowhere to be found. She looked back at Throttle.  
"What did you wanna ask?"  
"Why was that truck out of control?"  
Kiwi gasped. Because of the whole thing that happened after, she completely forgot about the truck. But Throttle was right. A truck doesn't just get out of control.  
"That is a really good question. I think I need to go talk to Mike. We did leave his truck crashed against a building behind, without any explanation. And maybe he found something…"  
Throttle nodded. Kiwi wanted to stand up, but something stopped her. She looked at Vinnie again and she took a deep breath. But she still didn't move.  
Throttle watched her. He still wasn't sure what was going on between them, but it was obvious they both cared about each other. Deeply.  
"Why don't you just wait till Vinnie's awake?", he asked nonchalant, trying to avoid she was gonna feel embarrassed. But when she looked at him, she had a slight blush on her cheeks. But then she smiled.  
"Yeah. Yeah, I will do that…"  
Throttle smiled back.  
"I will call Mike, okay?"  
Kiwi nodded and looked at Vinnie again.

Vinnie's eyes flew open and he jerked upright. His fur was bristled and his tail lashed through the air. Kiwi quickly lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"Easy, Vin. It's okay. You're safe…"  
Vinnie looked at her and for a moment, nothing happened. Then he let out his breath and looked at his body. His gaze fell on the cast.  
"What is this?", he asked with a disgust look on his face. Kiwi smiled.  
"That, my friend, is a cast. You broke your arm…"  
Vinnie stared at the cast and then looked back at Kiwi.  
"A cast? Great. Just great. How can I look studly with a cast?", he growled, cranky like a old man. Kiwi patted him on the arm.  
"Quit your whining. And thanks, for saving my life. Again…" and she looked him straight in the eye. She saw his cheeks turn red and he gave her that cute, shy smile.  
Suddenly, Modo moaned and he slowly got upright.  
"Wow momma… That stuff the doc gave me sure makes you tired…", he yawned.  
Vinnie looked over at him and mentioned his broken leg. He slowly got upright with a mischievous smile on his face. He grabbed a red marker and kneeled down next to Modo.  
He wrote something on Modo's cast. Modo waited till he was done.  
"What you wrote, bro?", the grey furred giant asked curious and he read it out loud.  
"Get well soon, from your HERO… Vinnie."  
Modo sighed and glared at Vinnie.  
"Really? In permanent marker? RED, permanent marker?", he growled. Vinnie smiled at him.  
"What? I'm just telling it like it is…"  
Modo snatched the marker out of Vinnie's hands.  
"Come here, bro", and he grabbed Vinnie's arm.  
When he was done, Vinnie looked curious at what his bro had written.  
"To Vinnie. Who broke this arm trying to pat himself on the back. Get better soon." Vinnie glared at Modo.  
"That's low, bro…"  
Modo laughed, but Vinnie raised his fist and punched Modo on the arm, causing the big guy make a move that his leg didn't really appreciate.  
"Auw!"  
Vinnie smiled mean at him.  
"Sorry…"  
At that point, Throttle walked in.  
"Glad to see you back to your old selves, bickering like two small children", he smiled.  
"Yeah, well, he started this!", Modo said, pointing at Vinnie, who looked shocked.  
"Hey! That is not true, I…", but Throttle held up his hand.  
"We got work to do, bro's. Someone messed with that truck and we need to find out who it was…"  
They all stared at Throttle, including Kiwi.  
"What?", she asked, confused. Throttle looked at her.  
"I've called Mike. And he told me they found out the brakes were cut loose and the gas pedal was sabotaged. We need to find out who did this and make them pay, big time. So, it's time to get busy, guys. They messed my town, they messed my friends… Well, let me tell you something, bro's… They are messing with the wrong mouse!"  
Kiwi slowly nodded. She had never heard Throttle like this before. He was angry.  
"Do you think Limburger got something to do with it?", she asked. Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"It has to be. But he never gets his hands dirty… No, he must have someone working for him. But who…"  
Vinnie slowly rose on his feet, still a little unstable because of his pounding headache. But that was not gonna stop him.  
"Well, let's pay him a visit then…", he growled. He was also angry. Nobody was allowed to mess with his bro's. And Kiwi.  
But Throttle shook his head.  
"You guys aren't in good shape. We need to play this differently… Using our heads…"  
Vinnie looked at him like he was on fire.  
"Excuse me?", he asked, his eyes wide open. "Does that mean, no fighting?"  
Throttle chuckled.  
"You will get your fight, Vincent. Later."  
Vinnie let out a growl and dropped on the couch, pouting. Kiwi was deep in thoughts.  
"Maybe I can get into Limburger's computer system. That worked before, with the mayor. Maybe I can found out who works for him…"  
"Do it", Throttle said. Kiwi grabbed her laptop and sat down next to Vinnie. She started her work. The mice were waiting impatiently.  
"Ugh, this is boring… Where is the action?", Vinnie sighed, rolling his eyes and his arms crossed before his chest. Everybody ignored him.  
"I found something", Kiwi suddenly said. "They hired a crew, called the Road Ravens… "  
"Well, then I guess it's time for us to get to work, bro's", Throttle said. Modo slowly got up and Vinnie was already walking to his bike.  
"Now just wait a minute. You guys are hurt! You need to rest…", Kiwi protested.  
"Time enough for that after I let out my frustration on those Road Ravens clowns", Vinnie said with a low voice. Modo nodded and mounted his bike. Throttle whistled.  
"Let's rock…"  
"... and RIDE!"  
Kiwi stared at them driving away. Honestly… These mice were gonna kill her someday…

But they were back very soon. Vinnie and Throttle were helping Modo to get inside. Kiwi jumped up.  
"What happened?", she asked, quickly walking towards them with a worried look on her face. Modo moaned in pain when his bro's helped him on the couch.  
"I laid an egg… This stupid leg…", he gasped and rested his head against the backrest. Kiwi grabbed a pillow and gently pushed it under Modo's leg.  
"I told you this was a bad idea…", she mumbled, while shaking her head. Then she looked at Throttle.  
"Really, what happened?"  
"We found the Road Ravens", he simply explained.  
Kiwi sighed.  
"Look, why don't you just wait till you are healed? And then…", but Vinnie interrupted her.  
"No way! That is gonna take too much time, sweetheart."  
"Okay, wiseguy. You have a better idea then, I suppose?", Kiwi snarled at the white furred mouse. The latter opened his mouth and pointed a finger in the air, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and smiled sheepishly. Kiwi snorted.  
"That's what I thought. Look, I know you normally solve things by blowing up things and be macho and all, but this time, you guys need to play it by the book. And with that I mean; use your brains, instead of your ehm… skills…", she trailed off. Vinnie looked almost offended.  
"Where's the fun in that?"  
Throttle intervened.  
"I understand where you're coming from, but do you have any suggestions?"  
Kiwi smiled.  
"We need to find out who is leading the Road Ravens. And when we find him, and stop him, I guess Chicago is safe again."  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Okay… and how are we gonna do that?"  
Kiwi rose on her feet.  
"We are going undercover."  
The mice stared at her.  
"Say what?" Vinnie narrowed his eyes. "Who is we?"  
"Throttle and me. You guys are out, since you are hurt. So, it's up to me and Throttle, I guess."  
Vinnie started laughing.  
"Riiiiight. No dice, sweetheart. It's too dangerous."  
Kiwi glared at him.  
"I don't wanna hear it. I have Throttle to protect me, and since I'm a woman, they probably will not hurt me."  
Vinnie opened his mouth again, but Throttle stopped him.  
"Hate to say it, Vincent, but Kiwi is right. This is a good idea."  
Vinnie looked like he was gonna explode, but he managed to keep his cool. Throttle looked at Kiwi.  
"Let's get ready."  
Kiwi nodded and they both left the room, leaving Vinnie and Modo behind. Vinnie looked at Modo.  
"And what about us? We're just gonna sit here and wait till they're back? And let Throttle have all the fun?", he complained. Modo smiled.  
"No way. We can follow them with Kiwi's car. You know, just to stay close in case something goes wrong."  
Vinnie sighed.  
"Guess I'll just have to go with that…"

Throttle and Kiwi were standing by Throttle's bike.  
"You okay with riding with me instead of Vinnie this time?", he asked, a little unsure.  
Kiwi took a deep breath. She checked how she felt, but she didn't felt any panic. She slowly nodded.  
"Yeah, I think I am."  
Throttle sat down and Kiwi climbed behind him. She was wearing a black leather pants and a denim jacket. Her black hair fell over her shoulders and she wore a sunglasses. She also found a bandana and had tied it around her neck. The perfect biker girl. Except she couldn't ride one. But that was their little secret.  
Throttle revved his engine and drove away, to the bar which was the Road Ravens homebase. Vinnie and Modo followed them in her car. Kiwi had giving Vinnie the keys, since he was the only was capable of driving a car. But not without a warning. When she finally had gave him the keys, he looked two tints paler than usual. But her car was very dear to her. So she needed to make sure she was gonna get it back in one piece. She wrapped her arms around Throttle's waist and leaned with her head against his back. He drove different than Vinnie. Calmer. More controlled. She felt calm inside. After all those months, she finally felt calm. And happy. She was starting to get out of her depression. The dark blanket that controlled her since her parents died that day, was slowly falling off of her shoulders. She started to see things more in color. Her panic attacks were getting less regular. She hadn't thought about dying for a while now. The mice saved her.  
So she ignored the little voice in her head that kept whining about what would become of her if the mice were gonna find a way to get back to Mars. What would happen to her, if they would leave her? She didn't answer that question. She ignored it. Because deep down, she knew that if the mice were gonna leave her, it would break her. That the blanket would consume her.

They arrived at the bar without any problems. Kiwi pulled off her helmet, Throttle kept his on his head, to avoid the Road Ravens would recognize him. The tan furred mouse looked at her with concern in his eyes.  
"You sure you can handle this, babe?"  
Kiwi nodded. "Yeah. I maybe doesn't know how to ride a bike and stuff, but I do know how to talk to men. Let's do this."  
And they walked inside. When the door closed behind them, everybody fell silent. Kiwi looked around her. It was a big room with a bar in the back and tables everywhere. About fifty men were looking back at her, most of them with a appreciative look on their faces. After a short moment of silence, everybody went back with what they were doing. Kiwi walked to the bar with Throttle close behind her. She sat down and ordered two beer. She had no idea how alien mice would react on alcohol, but she refused to order a rootbeer. The bartender slammed the two glasses on the bar and winked at her.  
"On the house, pretty lady", he said. Kiwi lowered her sunglasses and winked back.  
"Thanks."  
She gave one glass to Throttle and whispered he needed to take it slow. Throttle nodded. The bartender was a huge guy, and introduced himself as Bugs. It was obvious he was all over Kiwi. Throttle smiled and took a small sib from his drink. It was disgusting, but he managed to keep his face in check. It was a good thing Vinnie wasn't here. Even if Throttle didn't know what was going on between him and Kiwi, he did know one thing; his younger bro wouldn't appreciate the fact this Bugs guy was drooling over Kiwi. But Kiwi seemed to be okay with it. She talked very easily with him, almost flirtatious. This girl kept surprising him. She had so many sides. She was obviously a complicated girl.  
"So, Bugs. How long do you work here now?", Kiwi asked to change the subject. She leaned a little bit forward and her jacket fell open and gave Bugs a small view at her cleavage. Bugs eyes almost fell out of his head and Kiwi smiled. This was way too easy.  
"I work here for 15 years now", he said proudly, his eyes still focuses on the point where the jacket gave away a little bit of skin. Kiwi clacked with her tongue.  
"Eyes up here, mate", she said a little bit sharp, but also playful. The guy quickly looked her in the eye. Kiwi knew perfectly how to play him. She knew his type. The guy that would never be at the top, but knew everything about what was going on. And because that was the best he could, he was proud to be where he was. And very happy with some attention from the lady's, obviously.  
"That's a long time, Bugs. So, you must know everything what is going on around here, aren't you?", she said, waving with her eyelashes.  
Throttle shook his head, a smile on his lips.  
Bugs nodded.  
"You got that right, babe."  
"So I guess your boss must be very proud", Kiwi said nonchalant, looking at her beer. She hoped he took the bait. He did. Poor guy.  
"He is! Between you and me, he isn't that generous with compliments, but I know how to make Jimmy Mack happy."  
"Jimmy, huh?", Kiwi responded. Bugs nodded and pointed at a big man on the other side of the bar.  
"Yep! That's him. He…", but Bugs suddenly trailed off, looking at Kiwi with narrowed eyes.  
"Why are you so interested in Jimmy?", he asked suspiciously. Kiwi felt Throttle tens next to her. Uh oh. Bugs seemed to be a little bit smarter than she had thought. Bugs saw her reaction and opened his mouth.  
"Yo Jimmy! Come over here. I guess we have some traitors in our midst!"  
Throttle jumped off his seat, Kiwi followed his example. She looked over her shoulder and saw Jimmy standing up. Wow. The guy was huge, alright… The whole bar fell silent and most of the men followed Jimmy right over to them. Within seconds, they were surrounded. Kiwi looked at Throttle, who had a determined look on his face. There was a long silence, but Jimmy broke it.  
"So, tell me. Who are you and what are you doing in my bar?", he asked with a raw voice. Throttle pulled off his helmet. The whole cafe gasped.  
"Well, funny you ask", Throttle chuckled. He sounded so calm. Kiwi admired him for his courage. She was shaking like a leaf.  
"You messed with our truck, big guy. And with that, you messed with us."  
Throttle's voice was lower than normal. He was angry, Kiwi noticed. Because this guy had messed with his bro's. And her. That was unforgivable.  
Jimmy started laughing.  
"Really, do I need to be scared now?" and he grabbed Throttle.  
"Say what?", Throttle breathed while Jimmy raised him in the air, holding him at his jacket. Throttle pointed at something in the distant.  
"Hey! What's that?", he asked. Jimmy looked where Throttle was pointing at. The tan furred mouse clenched his fist and hit Jimmy right on his left jaw. Pain jolted through his hand.  
"Ahhh", he breathed, grabbing his hand.  
This was not going well. The guy felt like he was made of steel. He looked back at Jimmy, who was looking at him with a slightly amused look on his face.  
"Hey, eh… Hehe… I've could have sworn there was a fly on your chin there, Jim… Hehehe", Throttle chuckled.  
Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment. This was not going well at all…  
Jimmy let go off Throttle and the leader fell on his belly on the ground.  
"I love a good joke", Jimmy said with a low voice. After a few seconds of deathly silence, he started laughing. Kiwi couldn't believe her ears. Okay… This guy seriously had a bad sense of humor. She helped Throttle up.  
"I think he likes you", she whispered with a smile. Throttle smiled back at her, still rubbing his hand.  
"Must be my lucky day…", he sighed. But before he could do anything, Jimmy grabbed him again. He wrapped his strong arms around Throttle and squeezed. Throttle could feel the pressure on his bones, his lungs didn't have any room to fill with air…  
"You know, I always kinda wondered if I just could squeeze the life out of someone…", Jimmy smiled. Throttle struggled to get loose, but the guy was too strong.  
Kiwi felt panic, not knowing how to help Throttle. She saw he wasn't gonna hold it much longer. She needed Modo and Vinnie, right away. She grabbed her phone and activated the app. Not long after that, she heard a familiar honk. Her car. She felt relief, but it was soon followed with concern. That's right… They were driving in her car. More to the point… Vinnie was driving her car. Oh boy…

The wall exploded and her car flew inside.  
"AAAOOWWW, it this a drive thru?", Vinnie cheered, while hitting the brakes and turning the wheel.  
"Hot dogs and rootbeer!", Modo yelled.  
The car turned around and the back hit Jimmy full on the side. The big guy flew away, leaving him no choice to let Throttle go. Again, Throttle fell on the ground. The rest of the men quickly made a hasty retreat. Kiwi was frozen at first, feeling her blood boiling because of her car. But then she shook her head and ran to Throttle. She helped him up. He was breathing heavily and couldn't stand straight.  
"Oh my god, Throttle, are you alright?", she asked, using all her strength to hold the big mouse on his feet.  
"Weeeeeell, I hate to crash a party, but you know what they say… You can't break an armory without breaking a few even eggs!", Vinnie cheered while jumping out of the car. He quickly helped Kiwi with Throttle. The latter swung his arm around the neck of his white furred bro and walked to the car, when he suddenly remembered his bike. He turned around and stumbled away.  
"Go on, guys. I need to get my bike", he mumbled.  
"Throttle…", Kiwi started, but Vinnie stopped her by grabbing her and pushing her to the car.  
"Give him space and get in the car", he ordered. Kiwi glared at him.  
"What? It's a guy thing, okay?" Vinnie pushed her again.  
Kiwi sighed and stepped into her car. Her wrecked car. She was gonna kill Vinnie. Once they were safe. Modo looked at her from the passenger's seat, a apologetic look on his face. Kiwi rolled her eyes, but said nothing.  
Vinnie jumped behind the wheel and kicked the accelerator.  
"That big monkey is awake, so let's bail", he said, shaking his head in frustration. But he knew this was the safest option for now. For Kiwi.  
He flew out of the building and once on the road, he looked in the mirror.  
"Well, I've got some good news and some bummer news", he said happily. "The good news is, Throttle is right behind us."  
"And the bummer news?", Modo sighed.  
"Well, that big monkey is right behind Throttle…"  
Modo looked at Kiwi.  
"Kiwi ma'am, do you mind take over the wheel?", he said, a smile on his face.  
Kiwi didn't understand what his plan was, but she shook her head. Vinnie opened the window.  
"Ready, sweetheart?", he asked, looking at her. Kiwi stared at him.  
"NOW!" and Vinnie jumped out of the window. Kiwi quickly climbed behind the wheel, in shock about what just happened. Modo waved at her and opened the door. Before Kiwi could say anything, he was also gone. God dammit, were they crazy?!  
She looked in her mirrors, expecting to see two mice lying on the road behind her. But a flash of light and the sound of engines made her realize the bikes were here. Ah. Of course. She quickly drove further, still shaking her head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Throttle was driving before a big truck with Jimmy behind the wheel. The big guy was not amused he got whacked, and he tried to shoot Throttle. But the tan furred mouse avoided every shot. That made Jimmy even more angry.  
"Nobody whacks Jimmy Mack…" and he doubled his efforts.  
Throttle gained speed and suddenly heard Modo's voice.  
"Ladies and gentlemen!"  
Throttle smiled. His bro's were here.  
"It's time to take this show…" Vinnie's voice.  
"...ON THE ROAD!", his bro's finished in unison and they quickly joined Throttle.  
Throttle drove his car next to the big truck and jumped off. He climbed on the truck, giving his bike the order to stay with him.  
Modo and Vinnie opened fire to distract Jimmy, driving straight towards the truck. When they passed it, they quickly turned around. They saw Throttle on the back of the truck.  
"Quit hogging the fun, bro!", Vinnie said slightly annoyed. "Let's total this turkey!"  
Throttle grabbed a hose that was attached at the back of the truck and threw it to Modo.  
"Just what I had in mind, boys! Catch!"  
Modo grabbed it and gained speed so he could drive in front of the truck. He hold the hose pointed at the road, knowing exactly what Throttle's plans were. Vinnie followed him, almost bouncing on his bike.  
"Oh, you're gonna like this trick, Modo!", they heard Throttle's voice over the radio. "It's the mother of all brodies!"  
Oil spit out of the hose and landed on the road. The truck started to slip. Throttle quickly made a backflip and landed on his bike, just in time. The truck crashed against a building. What, of course, happened to be Limburger Plaza. They heard him scream in anger, but the sound of the collapsing of his beloved building soon overrun it.  
Throttle joined his bro's.  
"Yeah, Throttle baby, you are still the best!", Vinnie cheered.  
"And your aim is perfect!", Modo laughed, kissing his fingers like a Italian cook.  
They stopped their bikes and looked at the destroyed building.  
"Jimmy! Hey, Jimmy! Oooooh Jimmy Mack, he ain't be coming back", they sang together, laughing loudly. They high fived.  
"AAAALLRIGHT!"

They were still in a euphoric mood when they came back home, but that quickly changed. Kiwi was waiting for them, next to her car. Well, it didn't really looked like a car anymore. The front was heavily damaged because of crashing through the wall. The back had a huge dent where it had hit Jimmy.  
When Vinnie saw her, he slowed down a bit with a worried look on his face. But when he saw the murderous look on her face, he hit the brakes.  
"Uh oh, bro's…", he sighed.  
Modo and Throttle also stopped, and they all looked how Kiwi marched straight to the white furred mouse. When she was right in front of him, she pinned her finger against his chest. She took a deep breath.  
"You PROMISED to keep my car in one piece, mister! Is this looking like ONE PIECE?", she yelled. Vinnie shrunk.  
"I eh… Well… It actually still is in one piece, sweetheart…", he stuttered, blushing.  
Modo and Throttle shared a quick smile. Poor Vinnie. Always saying the wrong things at the wrong time.  
Kiwi exploded. She yelled at him for like 5 minutes, without stopping. When she was finally done, Vinnie looked more defeated than his bro's ever saw him. Kiwi was breathing heavily. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.  
"Well, now I got that out of my system… Thanks."  
Vinnie looked up, confusion written on his face. "S-say what?"  
Kiwi looked at Modo, who braced himself. He was there, after all. And he didn't stop Vinnie. Well, he actually had no time for that, but he never really tried either…  
"You too, Modo. Both of you, thank you. For being there when your bro needed you. Right on time."  
Kiwi winked at Modo and looked one more time at Vinnie, who was still very quiet.  
"You owe me a new car."  
And she turned around and walked inside, smiling at herself, leaving the three mind blown behind, for once quiet as mice.

* * *

Puuhhleaaseee review, I need them! Thanks! :)


	11. Chapter 10

You guys, thanks for the reviews! Happy with them!

For my Dutch readers; I've wrote my own book and it's getting published on August 13! You can order it on many website, like or .  
And one of the main charachters is based on Vinnie, hehehe. Anyway, it's called "Een ziel Twee werelden." If you are interested, please order it. It would also mean a lot to me! But no pressure :)

* * *

 **Chapter ten**

"Guys! Time for breakfast!", Kiwi yelled out of the kitchen, but there was no response. She frowned and walked outside, only to see their bikes were gone. She narrowed her eyes. What in the world… Where were they? They usually don't function before 9am. Weird… But maybe they just went for a ride. Yesterday, Ruby was here and removed both casts. After a examination she told Modo and Vinnie they were all healed. So, maybe they were enjoying their restored freedom… But still… Before 9am? Nope. She just couldn't believe that.

"Wakey wakey!", Vinnie cheered, while he stopped his bike with shrieking brakes.  
"Rise and shine!", Throttle smiled when he opened his visor.  
"Oeehhh, rise and stink is more like it", Modo moaned, pinching his nose.  
Limburger stared at his three biggest enemies, who just crashed through the window. Of his bedroom. While he was sleeping. Naked…  
"Biker Mice!", he yelled, while holding his blanket before his body. "This is the most unpleasant awakening…"  
"Yeah, well… getting a eye full of your ugly mug first thing in the morning is no picnic either, pal", Throttle said while crossing his arms before his chest.  
"So, up and at'em fishface… You're coming with us", Vinnie said quickly, just to get this over with. This was not how he like to spend his mornings.  
"Oh really?", Limburger asked, clearly recovered from the first shock. He grabbed his mask that was lying on his nightstand.  
"You will excuse me while I'll put my face on…" and he did what he said. "Ahhh, that's better…"  
Modo laughed. "Looked in the mirror lately?"  
Limburger got upright and looked arrogant at the mice.  
"Now. What is the meaning of this unwarranted intrusion?"  
"Well, now that's pretty simple, even for you, leverlips", Throttle started.  
"We're taking you down", Vinnie continued.  
"For trashing our town", Modo finished.  
"Yeah, it's called citizens arrest", Throttle explained, chuckling. "Get used to the idea… Oh! And put these on, will ya? And I mean… NOW!" and he threw a pair of handcuffs on Limburgers lap.  
"Or we'll do it for ya…", Vinnie smiled darkly.  
"And not very politely…", Modo growled.  
But Limburger wasn't impressed. He laughed and grabbed the handcuffs, but he didn't put them on. He whirled them around, still smiling.  
"Ooohh, please… Spare me the bravado, you biker buffoons… Do you truly suppose you've caught me unguarded?"  
The mice thought about it for a second, but smiled back at the villain.  
"Well, we've caught you in bed", Throttle chuckled.  
"In your skivvies", Vinnie laughed, shaking his head.  
"And none of your goons around to hold your hand", Modo snickered.  
"So basically ehm… yeah! I'd say you've been nailed, bud…", Throttle concluded, a big smile on his face.  
Limburger shook his head in disbelief.  
"An ironies assumption, I assure you… For you see, I anticipated that it was only a matter of time before you would attempt to such a pathetic stunt as this…" He spit out the last words in anger, gone was his smile, gone was his amusement, showing the evil fish he really was. But his arrogance soon returned and he grabbed a remote.  
"So I took… precautions…" and he pushed a button on the remote.  
The floor under the bikes opened and the mice fell down in a long tunnel. When they looked down, they saw sharp points at the bottom.  
"Get the point?", Limburger laughed evilly and the hatch closed.

"Aha! Looks like Limburger had his reception all planned", Vinnie said while looking down.  
"Yeah, with a dirty ending", Modo growled.  
"Well, not yet, bro's. Fire jets!", Throttle ordered. They did what he said and they flew up and crashed into Karbunkle's lab.  
"Hickory dickory doc!", Throttle smiled while stopping his bike.  
"We've come to clean your clock!", Modo laughed.  
Vinnie just cheered happily while they all fired rockets. Karbunkle's eyes grew big and he ran away. But soon after that, the wall behind the mice exploded and they were forced to drive further. Karbunkle was standing in the hole with a whole army behind him, and they opened fire at the mice.  
"Well, I hate to say it bro's, but it seems like we missed our chance to catch Limburger by surprise", Throttle said, avoiding the laser shots.  
"Ah man, bummer… for this we skipped breakfast?", Vinnie sighed, ducking to avoid his head was gonna be blown off.  
"Yeah, I hate fighting on a empty stomach", Modo added, and he looked down when the sound of his rumbling stomach even was heard above all the firepower  
"Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Let's bail, bro's."  
They fired their jets to crash through the wall.  
"We'll be back!"

Kiwi was starting to feel worried. It was already 11am and the mice still hadn't return. She was pacing through the garden, when she suddenly heard their engines. She felt a huge relief. Damn. Sure, it was nice to have people around you who cared about you and likewise. But the other side was that she was so scared to lose them. She quickly went into the kitchen and started preparing their breakfast again. Because she had learned one thing; the mice were always hungry, but especially when they came back from a mission. Well, she assumed they went on a mission. What else could it be?  
The mice walked into the kitchen and dropped on a seat. Kiwi turned around from the stove to look at them.  
"Hey guys! Where have you been?", she asked, while bringing her attention back on the hotdogs.  
"We tried to catch Limburger by surprise", Throttle sighed.  
"Well, that didn't work, I guess?", Kiwi asked, hearing the defeat in his voice.  
"Nope… He was way more prepared than we thought…", Modo answered.  
Kiwi set the hotdogs on the table and grabbed a few rootbeers from the refrigerator. She gave them each a can and she sat down.  
"Well, I must say, you surprised me. You guys normally aren't that much of a morning person…"  
Vinnie stuffed his mouth full with a hotdog and mumbled something. Kiwi rolled her eyes.  
"Vinnie, how many times do I need to tell you; stop talking with your mouth full, I don't understand a word you are saying."  
Vinnie quickly swallowed and gave her that arrogant smile of his.  
"Look who is all cranky this morning", he said, winking at her. Kiwi clenched her fists, but decided to let it go for now.  
"Anyway, I need to talk to you. My new car is gonna be delivered this afternoon and you guys need to stay inside to make sure they don't see you."  
A deadly silence. Vinnie's ears started to twitch, a sign that he was nervous. Even it was now weeks ago he had trashed her car, Kiwi was still upset about it. Not that they talked about it, no… But he just felt she was acting different around him. He knew deep down, she was still mad at him. And he hated it. He hated the fact that she was mad at him. But he didn't know how to make it up to her. If he had the money, he would have bought her a new car. Without hesitation. But it wasn't that simple. And of course, when he was nervous, he said stupid things.  
"Then why are you so cranky? A new car, that's awesome, right?", he blurted out.  
Throttle closed his eyes for a moment, Modo braced himself.  
Kiwi slowly turned her head to look at the white furred mouse. She couldn't believe her ears. Was that mouse really this stupid? Had he really no idea what her car had meant to her? Honestly… He could be so frustrating sometimes.  
"No, Vinnie. It is not awesome. I don't want a new car. I want my old one back, in one piece. But the thing is, my old car is too damaged. They couldn't fix it. Because some asshole drove it through a wall…", she said with a low voice.  
She was still so angry about it. Deep down, she knew he did it to save his bro. And for that, she was grateful. But he had promised her. He promised her to keep her car safe. And he broke that promise. And the worst part of it all… he never told her he was sorry. She had tried to move on, told herself he couldn't help himself, that this just was who he was, that he needed to make a decision in the heat of the moment… and actually, she was fine with that. But the fact he never told her he was sorry… that was unforgivable.  
"Sweetheart… I just did what I needed to do, alright? And I needed to make an heroic entrance. That's just what we do."  
Another deadly silence. Kiwi jumped up and ran upstairs, straight to her room.  
The three mice stayed behind. Throttle and Modo looked at Vinnie.  
"What?", the white furred mouse asked, mister innocence himself. Throttle took a deep breath, trying to control the upcoming headache.  
"Have you told her you're sorry?", he asked. Vinnie looked at him like he was on fire.  
"Why should I tell her I'm sorry? I had no choice, now did I? I did nothing wrong!"  
"That's just not how these things work, Vincent."  
Modo intervened.  
"Listen, bro. She was obviously very attached to her car. And you trashed it. No, wait", Modo held up his hand when he saw that Vinnie opened his mouth to protest.  
"Yes, you did what you needed to do. But you can at least tell her you're sorry. Are you?"  
Vinnie lowered his eyes. Modo could be so strict sometimes.  
"Well, I eh… I… hehe… I…", he stuttered. He was so not good at this. It just didn't felt right. It was not like he trashed her car on purpose… He never meant to hurt her. He just did… He sighed. He just did what he always does… Act first, think later. Great. Just great. And now he needed to tell her he was sorry. Ugh. He was way too cool for that.  
Modo saw the arrogance in his bro's eyes and sighed.  
"Just tell her you're sorry, bro. That's all she needs."

Vinnie slowly walked upstairs. He didn't want to do this. But the look on Modo's face had said it all. He didn't had a choice. But this sucked, big time. He hated to be vulnerable. And telling someone you're sorry, that needed vulnerability. Ugh. Why couldn't she just get over it? So that things could be normal again between them. That's all he ever wanted. Why was nobody thinking about him? Story of his life. No appreciation.  
He stopped before Kiwi's room and slowly reached to the handle. But then, he froze. He pricked his ears. Was she… was she crying? Shit. He felt a hint of panic and pulled back his hand. He turned around and wanted to walk away, but his feet didn't move. He just stood there, listening to her sobbing and he had to admit. It broke his heart. He was responsible for this. He made her sad. He took a deep breath, turned around and burst inside.  
Kiwi almost jumped out of her skin when the door suddenly flew open. She looked up and saw Vinnie standing in the door opening. He marched straight inside and stopped before her. His ears were moving, the top of his tail was twitching. But the look in his eyes caught her off guard. It was the same look she had seen that day he broke his arm. Panic. Pain. Sorrow.  
"Vinnie, jesus, you scared the sh…" but Vinnie grabbed her and pulled her in his arms.  
"I'm sorry, Kiwi. I'm so, so sorry I've busted your ride. I never wanted to hurt you, I just didn't think, like always, and I never though for a second it would hurt you. Please stop crying, I am so sorry", he babbled.  
Kiwi was surprised at first, but then she smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug.  
"Shhhh, it's okay Vinnie. Easy now…"  
It was like someone slapped Vinnie in the face. He suddenly realized what he was doing. He quickly let her go and did a few steps back. Kiwi sat down on the bed. Vinnie hesitated, but raised his fist.  
"Are we good?"  
Kiwi slammed her fist against his.  
"Yeah, we're good."  
Vinnie's tail lashed through the air and he quickly turned around and almost ran downstairs. Kiwi smiled at first, but then she started to laugh. Oh my god. That mouse. Honestly… But then her smile vanished. Actually, it wasn't that funny. Actually, it was kinda sad. It was obvious the guy had a lot of troubles because of the war. Mental issues. Just like her. So that's why he understands her so well. That's why he was able to help her to get over her trauma. He knows. He has the same problems. He is just less… obvious about it. Tears filled her eyes. Poor, poor Vinnie. Maybe, one day, he was gonna accept her helping him. So she could tell him he wasn't alone. Maybe...

A few days past by, and nobody ever talked about that day again. No, things were just back to normal now. The mice were busy with their bikes in the garage and Kiwi was sitting on her usual spot on the desk, watching them and holding a eye on the news. Vinnie was back to his old, arrogant self. He was so good in hiding things, Kiwi sometimes doubted her own memories. Did it really happen or was it just a dream? She looked at him, while he was busy with his beloved bike. Suddenly, his favorite song started and he jumped in the air of excitement. Something flew out of his pocket and landed before Kiwi's feet.  
"Hmmmm, what's this?", she asked curious and picked it up. It was his wallet. Wauw, this is gold. She never knew they had wallets. She opened it and saw pictures. But before she could take a real good look at it, Vinnie suddenly stood next to her. She jumped on her feet and turned her back to him, looking at the pictures.  
"Come on, sweetheart, give it back. It's just my wallet, come on…", she heard Vinnie saying, sounding very embarrassed. Kiwi smiled.  
"No way! I just wanna see how many girl pictures you carry in here", and she looked at the pictures. But she stopped when she saw a picture of a little mouse in diapers. The corners of her mouth started to shake and she burst out laughing.  
"Oh my gosh!"  
Vinnie was trying to look over her shoulder, to see why she was laughing.  
"What? What…", but then he saw the picture. "That's my baby picture!"  
He grabbed Kiwi and tried to snatch his wallet back, but she was faster this time. She held it in the air, still laughing. Vinnie was standing behind her, grabbing her by the waist and pushing her against him. It was very innocent, actually. He never meant something with it. He only did it to reach for his wallet. But Kiwi felt that tingle in her belly again. She quickly made herself loose, focussing on the picture again. It was such a cute picture.  
"Really, where is your hair?", she giggled, looking at Vinnie. The white furred mouse threw his hands in the air in frustration.  
"Really? Ah man, come on! I'm a mouse! We don't have hair when we're babies!"  
Modo and Throttle joined Kiwi and looked at the picture. They also started to laugh.  
"But you're so fat!", Kiwi laughed, pointing at the picture. She couldn't stop laughing.  
"Hey! A little chubby maybe…", Vinnie said, slightly annoyed.  
"Chubby? Man, you look like baby Hulk with a tail!", Throttle laughed.  
"And by the looks of things, you weren't potty trained either!", Modo rumbled.  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, obviously not amused.  
"Hmpf. My mom thought I was cute… And look how right she was…"  
Throttle and Modo continued laughing, but Kiwi slowly fell silent. She looked at the picture, at the innocent, little baby mouse. It suddenly made her sad. She looked into the familiar, but also unknown red ruby eyes. He was so pure. Full with love. Not knowing how hard his life was gonna be. Losing his loved ones way too early, fighting in a war… Death. Darkness… She suddenly felt tears filling her eyes. The look in the eyes of that little baby… She had seen that look twice now. When he helped her. This was who he really was. Sweet. Caring. But the war destroyed him. Crushed him. Made him built huge walls around him. Well, maybe the war didn't destroy him. It was still in there. She had seen it. But the war obviously changed him. She now completely understood why he was the way he was. And it broke her heart. She kept staring at the picture, but suddenly realized what was happening. No way she was gonna cry here, in front of three macho mouse. No way she was gonna say out loud what she just had thought. She quickly recovered herself.  
"Look at that dinky little tail!", she laughed, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. But nobody noticed. Vinnie had it.  
"Hahaha, very funny, sweetheart. Now, fun's over, give it back, before I…" and he wanted to grab the wallet, but Kiwi quickly turned around again. Vinnie lost his balance and fell on the floor.  
"Ah man…" but before someone could say anything, they heard a loud explosion. They all quickly looked outside and saw smoke and fire circling into the air above the city.  
"Uh oh, bro's… Looks like the heat is on!", Throttle said.

When the mice drove around a corner, their eyes grew big. What they saw was two… ehm yeah… what were it anyway? Lizards? One pink, one green. But when they saw the goons around them, stealing money from the bank that they had blown up, determination took over the surprise. They stopped right in front of the group.  
Throttle whistled between his teeth to get their attention.  
"Sorry, you ugly creepazoids!"  
"There's a substantial pattern for illegal withdrawn!", Vinnie said when they got their attention.  
"And you're looking at it!", Modo finished, raising his armcannon. Cannons popped out of all three bikes.  
"Gracious! How intimidatingly infused with machismo", the pink lizard said, with a high female voice. She looked at her green companion. "Are you impressed, Corgi?"  
The green one yawned.  
"Not so as you noticed, Strella. Let's stamp them!" His voice was male.  
And they both put a thumb in their mouths and started blowing. By every blow, they grew. The mice looked at them, eyes wide. The goons screamed in fear by seeing the creatures growing bigger and bigger and they ran away.  
"Wow… It looks like our problems getting bigger than we thought", Throttle said while looking up.  
"Oh momma…", Modo breathed.  
When the creatures were done, they were almost bigger than the skyscrapers around them.  
"Hey you, mice! Check out these amazing feet!", Corgi said and he lifted up his foot. The mice quickly retreated, right before the foot landed on the ground at the place where they just stood.  
"Waaooww", Vinnie yelped.  
"Okay, Vincent, keep 'em busy. Modo and I will take 'em from above!" and he and the grey furred giant drove up a building.  
Vinnie hit the accelerator, followed by the two creatures. But even he was having a hard time to stay in the lead. He was driving under the train rails, but the two big animals just crushed it under their feet.  
"AAAOOWW, a little speed bro's, or I'm gonna be the latest and fashioned footwear!", he yelled in the radio, pushing his bikes to the limits.  
At that point, Throttle and Modo arrived on top of the building. Modo shook his head.  
"Wow, when these guys take a stroll downtown, they mean business!"  
"Yeah, well let's give them a warm welcome", Throttle said and they both aimed at both beasts. "Now!" and they fired.  
A huge explosion and smoke took away their vision, and they high fived.  
"YES!"  
"That was a direct hit!", Modo cheered.  
"Hehe, that should put a cramp in their style", Throttle chuckled.  
But suddenly, two big shadows fell over them. Modo looked up and swallowed.  
"Uh… Throttle?"  
Throttle also looked up.  
"We do beg your pardon", Strella said polite.  
"But does this belong to you?", Corgi asked, and he showed a rocket in his hand. His hand was so big, that the rocket looked like a small toy.  
Throttle and Modo both chuckled, a blush on their cheeks.  
"Hehehehe… Eh… Yeah…" and they quickly drove away before they got crushed under the big hand.  
When they were down, Vinnie joined them.  
"Hey! I thought you mamma jammers were gonna take 'em down", he said, slightly surprised his bro's failed.  
"We hit them with our best shot…", Throttle answered.  
"Didn't even rock 'em…", Modo said, looking over his shoulder. The animals were running after them.  
"Which means we better roll", Throttle pointed forward and he and his bro's quickly flew around a corner.  
"These babies have Limburger's stink all over them", Throttle said, looking in his mirror. "We need to find us some answers and I know exactly where to ask questions."

When they arrived at LP, the zilla's had gave up the chase. They crashed through the window.  
"Knock knock", Throttle said.  
Modo pulled off his helmet and looked around him.  
"Come out, come out, wherever you are… you reeking cheese log…"  
Vinnie also pulled off his helmet.  
"He ain't here…"  
Modo sniffed.  
"And from the smell of fresh air, he ain't here for some time…"  
They suddenly heard moaning and growling and they quickly turned around. But nothing to be seen.  
"By the sound of it, it came out of Karbunkle's lab…"  
They mounted their bikes and drove down to the lab. They stopped and saw Greaspit sitting tied up against one of the desks.  
Throttle walked over to him and Greasepit tried to run away, but he slipped and fell down. A few drops of oil splashed on Vinnie. His face twisted and with a disgust look on his face, he rubbed it away from his precious body.  
"Yuck, talk about your toxic spill", he grumbled, still rubbing. But the oil got stuck in his fur. Ugh.  
"Yous biker babies got big troubles now!", Greasepit said, while looking at them. "Monstersize trouble…" and he started laughing.  
Throttle grabbed him by the throat, not amused.  
"Start squealing, greasepig… Where are these monsters come from? And where is that wrenching cheesehead boss of yours?"  
Greasepit looked terrified at him.  
"I eh… I don't know… Something went wrong with the transporter. M-m-m-mister Limboiger brought the monsters here, but then he gots sends somewheres else… Now the monsters are taking over!"  
Throttle let him go and cleaned his hand with his bandana. He turned around to face his bro's.  
"This is bad news, bro's…"  
"Yeah, the monsters are doing more damage than Limburger would…", Modo said, pointing out of the window. The monsters were coming closer to LP, crushing everything on their path.  
"That cheesehead brought 'em here… He must know how to control them!", Vinnie suggested.  
"Sure, but now he is gone…", Modo said.  
"Yeah, wich means there is only one thing we can do…", Throttle said, rubbing his chin. "I know it stinks, but…"  
"Oh man, you don't mean…", Vinnie interrupted him, grabbing his head.  
"Bingo… We've gotta bring back the big cheese…"  
"Ah man, come on! We can take them! And when we are done with them, Limburger is still gone and Chicago is safe!", Vinnie protested loudly. He was absolutely not amused. But Throttle wasn't either.  
"Oh yeah? We just tried to nail them, and we failed. You wanna try? Well, be my guest!", he snapped at his white furred bro.  
Vinnie closed his visor.  
"Fine", but when he revved his engine, Throttle stopped him. Even if he was slightly annoyed, he wasn't gonna send his bro out where he probably would die. His younger bro, whose pride was sometimes standing in the way to make a responsible decision. It was his responsibility to be responsible. So he did.  
"Vincent, stop. We don't have another choice. I like this idea as much as you do. But we need to think about the city. All the innocence people who are dying right now."  
Vinnie looked at his leader. Deep down, he knew he was right. But dammit. This sucked, big time.  
"Fine", he growled again, crossing his arms before his chest. Throttle nodded and looked at the transporter.  
"This thing is totalled, bro's. We need to think of a way to get it back to work…"  
"Maybe Kiwi knows? She is into computers and stuff, right?", Modo suggested.  
"Yeah, but…", Vinnie started, but closed his mouth. Throttle studied his face.  
"We will keep her safe, Vin. You know we will. She is our only chance right now..."

"Guys, come on… I don't know anything about these things…", Kiwi sighed, looking at the damaged transporter. She had never seen anything like this in her entire life. It was alien technologie. How in the world should she know how to repair this thing? But when she wanted to turn around to tell the mice she wasn't gonna be able to do this, she suddenly saw a USB entrance. Hmmm… She quickly grabbed her laptop and other gear. Within minutes, she had linked the transporter with her computer.  
"And?", Vinnie suddenly asked, close by her ear.  
"Jezus, Vin… I need some time, okay?"  
"Well, time is something we don't have, sweetheart… Look behind you… Guess who's coming for diner?"  
She did what he said. And she just wished she didn't. The window shattered and two big, scaled hands came inside. She jumped on her feet and scrambled backwards.  
"Holy shit!"  
"Aaaaoooowww, watch it, sweetheart! These mice got teeth!", and he grabbed his laser and shot at the big hands. They heard a growl coming from outside and the hands pulled back.  
The mice quickly mounted their bikes.  
"Okay, Kiwi ma'am. Hold the fort!", Modo said.  
"Yeah, we will try to buy you some time", Throttle explained.  
"Because we are gonna ROCK…", Vinnie began, his fist in the air.  
"... and RIDE!" and they drove out of the window.  
Kiwi stared at the broken window. Did they just left her here? With Greasepit in the same room? Of course, he was tied up, but still… God dammit… She quickly gave herself a mental shake. This is what you wanted, Kiwi. You wanted to make a difference. You wanted to be a part of something. Well, now you are. So, focus!  
With a determined look on her face, she grabbed her computer and went to work. But it wasn't a easy job. She didn't recognize the hardware, since it wasn't from this planet. She was lucky her computer was even able to read it. And with the sounds of explosions coming from outside… She has never been good with working under big pressure. Her hands were shaking and her breathing came out in rapid breaths. But she didn't gave up. No, now was not the time to fall apart. You got this, girl.

Meanwhile, outside…  
"AAOOWW, didn't we play this game before?", Vinnie asked at his bro's.  
They were driving in front of the monsters, who were following them.  
"Yeah, but this time we are on Limburgers home field", Throttle answered.  
"You mean we don't care if we trash the place?", Modo asked.  
"Exactly. So let's play dirty. Oil spill… now!"  
They all pushed a button and oil sprayed out of the back of their bikes. The monsters were close by, but all of a sudden, they slipped and landed hard on the ground.  
The mice turned their bikes.  
"The bigger they are…", Vinnie smiled.  
"The harder they fall!", Throttle finished, also smiling.  
But the monsters climbed back on their feet.  
"Uh oh, bro's. Guess who's back for a rematch!", Modo warned.  
"And this time, it's personal…", Throttle sighed.  
They tried to drive away, but they weren't fast enough.  
Modo was grabbed by Corgi and Vinnie and Throttle by Strella.  
"Hmmmm, mice for the midday meal, how chique!", Strella gloated, holding Modo with both hands.  
Corgi licked his lips.  
"HEY! You can't eat me! I'm too cool to die!", Vinnie yelled angry, struggling to get free. But the monsters were too strong. Even Modo couldn't get loose.  
"Come on, Kiwi… Get that transporter working, pronto!", Throttle whispered.

Kiwi wiped away sweat of her forehead and her finger floated above the 'enter'. She took a deep breath, in the hope this was gonna work. She pushed the button. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, the transporter came to life. A flash of light, and suddenly the smell hit her. She squeezed her eyes. Ugh. Gosh, this was awful… She climbed on her feet, coughing. When she opened her eyes, she saw Limburger standing before her. Her eyes grew big and she froze. Oh shit. What was that stinkfish gonna do?  
He stared at her, but suddenly, a smile appeared on his face and he fell on his knees. He grabbed her feet and kissed it.  
"Oooohhh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you…"  
Kiwi stared down, a disgust look on her face. What the...  
"Ugh, come on! Don't touch me!", she warned him, while stepping back.  
Limburger looked at her.  
"Simply expressing my gratitude for a timely rescue…", Limburger said, while climbing on his feet. "Now… that done… GRAB HER!"  
Kiwi felt two big hands grabbing her arms. Shit. Greasepit. Apparently, Karbunkle had made him loose. This was not going well…  
"No, let me go! Listen to me, I didn't brought you back without reason! Come on!", she yelled, struggling to get loose. But they ignored her.  
Suddenly, the whole building rocked. Limburger almost fell on the floor.  
"What is that?", he asked, fear clearly heard in his voice.  
"THAT is the reason I've brought you back! The monsters are outta control and wanna take over this city. We gotta stop them!" Kiwi was still struggling. "Don't they have any weakness?"  
"Only one… They got weak when they laugh… But it's almost impossible to make them laugh…"  
Kiwi stopped struggling for a moment. But then, she got a idea. Laughing. She still had Vinnie's wallet.  
"Let me go, I have the solution!", she said, wiggling. Greasepit let her go and she ran to the stairs. She needed to get on the roof, as soon as possible!

She hardly couldn't breathe anymore when she finally reached the roof. She ran to the edge and saw she was at about the same height as the monsters. But she hadn't seen their heads yet. She stopped death in her tracks. Oh… my… god… Those teeth… Her legs became weak and she fell on her knees. But then she saw the mice in their hands, and that Corgi was about to bite Vinnie's head off. NO!  
She whistled to get their attention. That worked. She crawled closer to the edge and grabbed the wallet with shaking hands.  
"L-l-look… V-V-Vinnie's baby… baby picture!", she managed to squeeze out. The monsters looked at the picture.  
"Oh man! Bad enough I'm gonna be monster food, I've gotta be humiliated too?", she heard Vinnie yelling.  
But she ignored him. She did it to save them. She could only hope it would work. But it did. The monsters started with a small giggle, but soon they were laughing out loud. And indeed, they shrunk. Kiwi slowly got up and looked over the edge. Soon, the monsters were about the same size as the mice. She saw them clenching their fists and with one punch, they knocked the monsters out cold. Pfew. It worked. She slid down and sat on the floor, her back leaning against the edge of the roof. She couldn't move anymore and decided to wait till the mice were coming to get her. They will know she was still here, right?  
Suddenly, the building rocked. She froze. She saw the floor cracking. Oh shit. The building was gonna collapse. She jumped at her feet and wanted to try to run to the door, but the floor already fell apart. She scrambled back to the edge. She looked around her wildly, searching for a way to escape. But there wasn't one. And the floor crumbled further and further. She climbed on the edge and looked down. The height was making her dizzy. She looked back and saw that the floor was completely gone now. No, no, no…  
"GUYS!", she screamed, her voice high of panic. But no reaction. Where were they? The building rocked again, so hard that she lost her balance. She tried to avoid it, but it was no use. She could feel how her feet lost contact with the building and that she tumbled forwards. Her hands tried to catch something, something to avoid she would fall. But she only grabbed air. Tears streamed down over her face and she screamed in fear. But there was nobody who could help her and she started the long fall down...

* * *

*CLIFFHANGER* Muawhaha! You just gotta love cliffhangers. Please review! :)


	12. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews, very much appreciated!  
I know what you want, Youkai55 ;) Who knows what's gonna happen? But like I said, can't promise you anything.

This chapter is a little sad, just rolled out of my brain. That happens sometimes. And when I'm sad myself, the things that roll out of my brain are sad too.

* * *

 **Chapter eleven**

She couldn't breathe because of the speed she was falling by. Her vision was blurry because of the tears in her eyes. Her heart was pounding so fast, she even now could feel it in her chest. The ground came closer and closer. She squeezed her eyes, at first to paralized to scream. She could only cry. She didn't want to die. Not anymore. Not now the mice were in her life. But by the looks of things, it was time. Her time. It was just so unfair. She finally had something to live for. A scream escaped her mouth. A scream in pain. Why? Oh god, why?

 _Five minutes earlier in Karbunkle's lab..._

A flash of light. The monsters were gone. Transported back to whatever rathole they crawled out of. Limburger was nowhere to be found. Probably hiding.  
"That takes care of them…", Throttle said, sitting back on his bike again.  
"Too bad Limburger had to come back, though…", Modo sighed.  
"Yeah… Heyhey, wanna trash this place before we leave?", Vinnie smiled eagerly, swinging a arm around Modo's neck.  
Modo was about to answer, but Throttle was faster.  
"Nahhh, forget it, bro's."  
Vinnie glared at him and pulled back his arm.  
"Ah man, you're a buzzkill!" and he rested his head in his hands, clearly not happy with this decision.  
"Well, I just figured Limburger had enough for one day… And Kiwi is waiting for us, so let's ride, bro's!" and they jumped outside. But the building was heavily damaged because of the monsters and suddenly, they heard a lot of noise behind them. They stopped and looked behind them.  
"HA! It's still going down!", Vinnie cheered, clapping his hands like a child getting a lollipop. They turned their bikes around. No matter how many times they had seen it, it still was a beautiful sight. So, they opened their visor and looked how the building slowly crumbled. It was then when they heard a scream. Throttle narrowed his eyes.  
"Hey… Just wait a minute… is that…", he started.  
"KIWI!", Vinnie suddenly yelled and he revved his bike.  
"Vincent, wait, it's too dangerous!", Throttle yelled, but Vinnie was already gone.  
"Shit, Modo. He is not gonna be on time!", Throttle breathed, while looking at the black dot that was Kiwi.  
Stones were falling down everywhere and Kiwi was a long way down already…

Vinnie pushed his bike to the limits, zigzagging to avoid the stones that fell out of the air. He grabbed his handlebars tightly and fired his jets. His bike beeped that he was going too fast, but he ignored her. He gritted his teeth and gained even more speed. His eyes were locked on Kiwi. Why did she fall so fast, and why was he so slow? It felt like his bike didn't cooperate. But that was ridiculous. She would always cooperate. He saw Kiwi coming closer to the ground and he screamed in frustration.  
"Come on, sweetheart. COME ON!"  
His bike beeped back angrily, but suddenly it felt like whatever was slowing him down, was gone. His bike sped forward, and Vinnie needed to use all his skills to avoid the falling rocks, to zigzag at this speed. But he had no choice. He wasn't gonna let Kiwi die. Never.  
It was like time stood still. He was finally close enough to see Kiwi's face and his heart stopped. He had never seen her this scared. Shit, she needed him. He saw a big rock following her down. And he still wasn't close enough. SHIT. Instinct took over. He let go of his handlebars and climbed on the seat. He yelled at his bike to hit the brakes and at the same time, he jumped forward. He spread his arms and finally, he had her. He felt her head slamming against his chest and he quickly pushed her against him. He wrapped his arms around her head, his tail around her legs… BAM.  
They slammed against the ground, Vinnie gritted his teeth and used all his strength to keep his arms around her. To keep her safe. They slid a few meters and slowly came to an halt. Vinnie let out his breath, but before he could say anything, or even look at Kiwi to see if she was okay, a big part of the roof landed just inches away from them with a loud bang. Dust flew into the air and he heard Kiwi coughing. Good. She was still alive. He quickly scrambled on his feet and whistled. His bike jumped out of the cloud of dust and he jumped on her seat, with Kiwi still in his arms. His bike took over control and drove out of the danger zone without too much troubles. Once they were safe, Vinnie slammed his foot on the brake pedal and his bike stopped with shrieking brakes.  
For a moment, there was only silence. Vinnie heard his own breathing in his helmet, his heart pounding in his head… He looked down at Kiwi, who was holding him tightly. Her fingers were holding his fur with so much strength, he was surprised he wasn't bald already. She was pressing her head against his chest, her eyes squeezed tightly. Her breathing was shallow. Vinnie slowly made one arm loose and pulled off his helmet. He threw it on the ground and he stepped off his bike. He sank on the floor, with Kiwi on his lap.  
"Sweetheart… Jesus, sweetheart, are you okay?", he asked with a shaky voice.  
Kiwi didn't respond. She was still holding him tightly, her eyes still closed. Vinnie slowly let her go and gently took her hands. One by one, he unfolded her fingers, so she let go off his fur. Her hands fell down on his lap. He gently lay a finger under her chin and lifted her head. She still hadn't open her eyes.  
"Sweetheart… Kiwi… Open your eyes. You're safe…", he whispered.  
Kiwi suddenly gasped and her eyes flew open. Her whole body tensed and she opened her mouth, but Vinnie grabbed her head and forced her to look at him.  
"Easy. You're safe. You're with me. Nothing's gonna harm you… Not while I'm around…"  
His voice. Kiwi looked at him, her eyes wide open, her breathing still shallow. But when she heard his voice, she slowly relaxed a little. And suddenly, it dawned on her. She was safe. He had saved her life, again. He risked his own life, to safe hers. Why would he do that? It was a close one, this one. But he did it. And here she was. Sitting on his lap. His hands cupped around her head. His tail softly wrapped around her waist. And when she heard his voice, that low voice that meant so much to her, she finally calmed down.  
"That's it, sweetheart… That's it…"  
He slowly let go of her head. She looked at him, she couldn't stop stare at him. She stared in his eyes. His beautiful ruby red eyes. And she saw the same look she had seen on the baby picture. And that was the final touch. Tears filled her eyes and she started crying. Vinnie pulled her in his arms again, stroking her back. And that is how Throttle and Modo found them.  
Their younger bro, his fur black of dirt and dust. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with Kiwi on his lap. He held her in his arms and Kiwi… Poor Kiwi. She was crying so hard. Vinnie looked up with a pleading look on his face. Throttle and Modo kneeled down next to him and Throttle lay a hand on Kiwi's back.  
"Hey, babe… It's okay now. You're safe…", he said softly.  
Kiwi slowly lifted her head and saw Throttle and Modo. The worry on their faces. It made her even cry harder.  
"Let's take her home", Throttle said softly in Vinnie's ear. Vinnie nodded and slowly climbed on his feet. He tried to untangle himself from Kiwi, but she wouldn't let him. She clung unto him, crying so hard she almost couldn't breathe.  
"Kiwi… What is it that you need? How can I help you to calm down?", Vinnie whispered, stroking her hair.  
It made her even cry harder, as far as that was possible. Vinnie sighed and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, still holding him so tightly, he almost couldn't move. Under any other circumstance, he would have made a joke about how she was holding him. But this wasn't the right time. Even he knew that. He climbed on his bike, holding Kiwi with one arm and his other hand grabbed the handlebar.  
"Let's ride, bro's", he said and they slowly drove back home.

When they arrived home, Kiwi was still crying. Vinnie was worried about her. Why was she so upset? This happened before, and sure, it scared her… But this was different. He carried her to her bed and gently lay her down. She finally let go off him and turned around. She buried her face in the pillow, her hand groped to the her nightstand. Vinnie opened the drawer for her and she blindly found her bottle of pills. She opened it and tried to grab a pill, but her hands were too shaky. She started to cry even harder. Vinnie quickly snatched the bottle out of her hand with a sigh and gave her a pill. She stuffed it in her mouth and held up her hand again. Vinnie hesitated, but gave her another one. She would know, right? She took the second pill and turned her back to him. Vinnie lay back the pills and closed the drawer. He didn't know what to do. But soon, her crying became softer. Her breathing became calmer. And after a few minutes, she was fast asleep. And Vinnie slowly left her room, closing the door softly behind him. He walked downstairs and grabbed a rootbeer. He dropped on the couch, next to his bro's.  
"Is she okay?", Modo asked worried.  
"Eh… She's asleep", Vinnie answered shortly, and stared at the can rootbeer in his hand. He was obviously upset too. Throttle sighed.  
"You did a good job, Vin. This isn't your fault."  
Vinnie only nodded. He suddenly saw that his normally snow white fur was now grey. He sighed and jumped on his feet.  
"I'm gonna take a shower", and he left his bro's with shocked looks on their faces in the living room.  
"Say what?", Modo breathed, shaking his head in disbelief.  
"Are my ears broken? Did we just hear Vinnie saying he was gonna take a shower? All by himself? Never thought I'd see the day…", Throttle agreed.  
Their bro was more upset than he showed, that's for sure. The tan furred mouse fighted to stay on his seat. He wanted to help Vinnie, talk to him. But he knew better than that. Talking about his feelings was something Vinnie never did. Well, not the deeper feelings. He could whine all day, he could cheer all day, but going deeper… No, Throttle had learned the hard way that wasn't gonna happen. So, he remained where was, giving his bro time to pick himself up again. And tomorrow… tomorrow he was gonna be fine again.

Kiwi was falling again. She saw how Vinnie tried to grab her, but he missed. He also fell down and a huge fragment of Limburgers building crashed against him. She opened her mouth, she wanted to scream, but she could only stare in horror when the fragment reached the ground. A loud bang, blood...so much blood…  
"NOOOOOO!"  
She woke up with a startle, sweat was dripping off her body. She jerked upright, breathing heavily. Her scream was still echoing against the walls. Shit. It was just a dream. She was safe. Vinnie was safe. Her hair was sticking to her face, soaked with sweat. She looked at the clock. 8am.  
She slowly slid out of bed and stumbled to the shower. She didn't even took off her clothes and stepped under the warm beam. With a heavy sigh, she slid down with her back against the wall until she reached the floor. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. She just stared at a point in front of her, the water streaming over her back. She didn't know how long she was sitting there. But all of a sudden…  
"Sweetheart, why are you sitting here with your clothes on?"  
Kiwi looked up and saw Vinnie standing next to her with a worried look on his face.  
"Is this your way to get me out of my clothes?", she asked without thinking.  
Vinnie's eyes grew big, a blush clearly visible under his fur.  
"I sure hope not, because it ain't working, mister", she said and slowly climbed on her feet.  
Vinnie was still loss at words. She turned off the shower and stepped out.  
"You do know that's not my intention at all, right?", Vinnie suddenly asked.  
Ah, he had found his voice again. She turned around to face him.  
"Isn't it?", she asked, provoking him. Vinnie narrowed his eyes.  
"No." He sounded offended. She sighed.  
"Look, Vinnie, sorry. I don't mean to sound so… mean. But I'm trying to understand you. But that is not easy. You do things for me… You risk your own life for me. Why would you do that? What could possible be your intention to do such thing?"  
Vinnie looked at her like she had slapped him in the face.  
"Really? You really believe I save your life so after, I can get into your pants?"  
His voice was dangerously low. He clenched his fists.  
She looked back at him. She had hurt him, she could see it in his eyes. Shit. She suddenly realized what she was saying. What was she thinking? Why was she reacting like this? It must be the shock. Because of what happened yesterday. Really, had she lost her mind?  
"No… no, I don't think that. I'm sorry. Never mind, okay?", she blurted out, feeling very embarrassed all of a sudden.  
Vinnie opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He was struggling to find the words, but he couldn't find them. He took a deep breath and turned around.  
"Okay. You coming down? Throttle got us some breakfast."  
Kiwi stared at his back, screaming from the inside that he must turn around, that he needed to talk to her. But she also couldn't find the words. She was just as bad as him in talking about emotions and stuff.  
"Okay, I will be down in a few minutes."  
"Cool." And he left the bathroom. Kiwi let out her breath. Wauw, Kiwi. Way to go. Dammit.

She quickly changed into other clothes. When she was brushing her hair, Throttle knocked and walked inside.  
"Hey you… You okay?"  
Kiwi took a deep breath.  
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm feeling much better, thanks… God, I don't know what was wrong with me yesterday, Throttle. I'm sorry if I made you guys worried. I will be fine. Yesterday just wasn't a good day…"  
He looked at her and slowly took the brush out of her hand. She looked at him questionably, but he pushed her gently in the seat that was standing in front of her mirror.  
He took her hair and started combing it. He was surprisingly good at it. She could feel her body relax, enjoying this rare moment of peace.  
"I know it's not very badass and macho, but I used to brush my sister's hair, when she was young. She loved it. It made her feel calm. Peaceful", he explained.  
Kiwi closed her eyes and felt the tension leaving her body.  
"You're good at it", she mumbled, almost purring like a cat.  
There was a long silence, but it wasn't awkward. She felt completely relaxed in Throttle's presence. It was different than with Vinnie. When she was with Vinnie, there was always that weird tension in her body. She couldn't explain it. But Throttle… he felt like the brother she never had.  
"He does care, you know", the tan furred mouse suddenly said, breaking the silence.  
Kiwi's eyes flew open and she looked at Throttle through the mirror.  
"Vinnie", Throttle explained when he saw her confused look. She could feel her cheeks turn red. She suddenly remembered what she had said to him. Oh my god, talk about no appreciation. He had saved her life, and what did she do? First, she went completely loco and the day after she accused him of being a hopeless Romeo.  
"I eh… I can't believe I said the things I've said to him…", she stuttered. Throttle smiled. She realised he had heard their conversation. Oh man...  
"I can't blame ya. But it isn't like that. Not with you. Trust me on this one, okay? He cares."  
He said it with so much determination, she immediately believed him. But she still had so many questions.  
"But… why would he do that? Risk his life for mine? I mean…"  
"That's who he is. That's who we are. And that's what we do. Look, it maybe sound completely ridiculous and maybe it's not that common on Earth, but we are willing do everything for the people we care about. For the people we love. And Kiwi, we care about you. But you seem to have a lot of trouble with believing that."  
He was so calm. He didn't judge. He just said it like it was. He was right. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that someone would give his life for her.  
"I'm… I'm just not used to it. I never felt very special. I'm just a regular girl. Why in the world would someone give his life for me?"  
"Love", he simply answered.  
"You mean Vinnie loves me?", she asked, almost falling out of her chair.  
"Yeah. There are different types of love, you know that, right? I've gotta admit, I'm not sure what is going on between you guys. But one thing is very clear to me. And that is that Vinnie cares about you. Deeply."  
"I care about him, too…", she whispered.  
"I know, babe."  
"And I also care about you and Modo. My life was over, you know? When my parents died, something inside of me also died. I got depressed, heavily depressed. I tried to take my own life, but I failed. After that, I tried to go on. You know, for my parents. Apparently, it wasn't my time yet. But it was so hard. And it all felt so pointless. And I was alone... I never felt so lonely. And then you guys showed up and… life suddenly seemed not that bad anymore. But I obviously have still a lot of issues to deal with…", she trailed off. It was the first time she completely opened up about how she felt. About what had happened to her. But she trusted Throttle. The latter lay down the brush and gently grabbed her by the shoulders. She looked at him through the mirror and he looked back (not that she could see his eyes, but she felt it).  
"Kiwi, you're not just some regular girl. You're the strongest person I ever met. You're a fighter. You're special. And you are worth it. You know, you deserve people who care about you. So, stop fighting it. Accept it. We care about you. And that's because you are such a good person. You helped us when we didn't had a place to go, you are eager to help us in a war that isn't yours, you are here for us... You take care of us. That really is something special, babe. We're family now. And family takes care of each other. Okay?"  
Tears filled her eyes. He was right. She had a family again. She lay one hand on his and squeezed it.  
"Thank you, Throttle", she whispered.  
"Any time, babe. Come on, let's go eat that breakfast."

A few weeks past by in peace. Limburger was busy with rebuilding, the mice and Kiwi were recovering from all the emotions from that one day. Kiwi and Vinnie never talked about what happened in that bathroom the other day. And where things first were kinda awkward between them, after a few days, it all felt normal again. But Kiwi still felt bad about it. She just didn't know how to say it to him. So, she let it be. And by the looks of things, Vinnie was fine with that.  
Unfortunately, after a few weeks of peace and quietness, the mice needed to get back to work. Kiwi had found out that Limburger was after the steel in Chicago. And that he had planned to rob the steel factory just outside town. Of course, the mice weren't gonna let that happen. So, they made sure they were also in the building that night. And that was a good thing. Because Kiwi was right.

"We are ready to steel the steal!", Karbunkle cackled, throwing his wrench into the transport machine.  
"Then let's pour it on!", Greasepit answered, pulling a handle. A big kettle, that was hanging on the ceiling, came into motion. It was filled with melted steel and the plan was to pour it straight into the transporter. But of course, when the kettle slowly turned…  
"Better just pour yourself a cold one, greasedump."  
"Because if you think things are hot now…"  
"...we're gonna really light your fire!"  
The mice were sitting on their bikes wich were parked on the kettle. Modo fired his armcannon and hit the handle with laser. It clicked back and the kettle stopped moving.  
"Heeeyy! Hey goons, obliteratesm them!", Greasepit yelled angry. "NOW!"  
Goons in buggies flew inside the factory, firing their laser at the mice. The mice revved their engines.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!" and they jumped of the kettle.  
Throttle grabbed a long, metal pole and held it above his head. Vinnie and Modo joined him and also grabbed the pole.  
"Dumb and jump manoeuvre number three!", Throttle ordered.  
They drove straight towards the goons and on Throttle's signal, they threw away the pole. They quickly fired their jets and jumped into the air, right before the goons crashed against the pole. The buggies flew into the air and landed upside down. A few buggies flew into the kettle and the whole thing exploded with a loud bang.  
"AAAOOWW! Mucho mamma jammers madness!", Vinnie cheered. They stopped their bikes, but saw too late they were standing on the wrong place. Two metal cages came from both sides and trapped the mice, along with their bikes.  
"Hey!", Throttle called out.  
"Not so fast, Biker Mice! You look a little… tired…", Karbunkle chuckled, while pulling a handle. The cage came into movement and stopped right under another big kettle filled with melted steel.  
"Yeah! We think yous need a little… iron in your diet!", Greasepit laughed and kicked against another handle. Slowly, the kettle started to turn.  
The mice looked up.  
"Uh oh… another cliffhanger", Throttle said, wiggling to get loose.  
"Definitely a tense moment", Vinnie agreed, but still with a smile on his face.  
"Yeah… If this was a James Bomb movie, the cool titles would start… NOW!" Modo smiled.

But of course, that didn't happen. Since they weren't living in a movie. No, this was real life.  
Greasepit was still laughing.  
"Say bye bye, biker babies!"  
"Vinnie, Modo! Manoeuvre number twenty two!", Throttle ordered. He expected immediate action, but of course…  
"No, twenty one, man, twenty one!", Vinnie protested loudly.  
Throttle sighed.  
"No. Twenty two!", he said with a low voice.  
"Ah man…", Vinnie pouted, but did what him was told. He grabbed a flair, lit it and threw it to the kettle. It burned down two cables and the kettle stopped moving.  
Modo raised his arm cannon and shot one of the bars that was holding the kettle. The whole thing came into movement and slid down the one rail he was still hanging on. It crashed against the control centre and the cage opened.  
They quickly drove a little further and turned around their bikes.  
"Aaaooww, how do you spell relief?", Vinnie cheered.  
"I'll tell you how I spell it", Throttle said with his finger pointed in the air, a smile on his face. "Whip tail…"  
Vinnie started laughing. "Yeah! Music to my ears!"  
"Let's do it..", Throttle said and closed his visor.  
Greasepit flew inside on his trike, determined to stop the mice for once. Karbunkle was sitting next to him. They stopped and aimed a huge rocket at the mice.  
"Hehehehe, it's blow up mousies time!", Greasepit chuckled and he fired the big rocket.  
But of course, he missed the mice. The rocket exploded against the same kettle with melted steel that was crashed against the controls and the 'lava' streamed on the floor.  
Throttle looked behind him and saw the 'lava' coming closer.  
"Uh oh… steel yourself for action, bro's! 'Cause surfs up!"  
Greasepit quickly turned his trike and drove outside. Limburgers purple limousine was waiting outside, but when they saw the big wave of 'lava', the limousine also turned tail.  
The mice broke out of the building by crashing through the wall and followed Limburger. The 'lava' slowly came to an halt, luckily before more damage was done.  
Throttle catched up with two buggies and drove in the middle of them. He let go of his handlebars and punched both goons right in the face. They flew out of the buggie.  
"Yeaaahhh, can we shred or can we shred?", Vinnie laughed.  
"Quick, bro's! Manoeuvre number seven!", Throttle ordered. And again…  
"Number six, number six!", Vinnie protested.  
Throttle sighed again, but decided to give him his way.  
"Okay, number six."  
"Hahaaaaaa, dig it!", Vinnie cheered and cannons came out of his bike.  
"Number six, just coming right up!", Modo smiled, also aiming his cannons.  
"Okay, heads up, bro's! Let's see if we can cook their tails for keep this time…"  
"Time to grill us a biiiiig cheese sandwich!", Vinnie yelled happily.  
"Now, aim for the tires…", Throttle ordered. "On three…"  
"One…", Modo begun.  
"Two…", Vinnie continued.  
But then, they approached a crossline and the street light jumped on red.  
"Wow, wow, wow, wow!", Throttle warned and he quickly hit the brakes, cutting off Vinnie and Modo, who also immediately hit the brakes to avoid they were gonna crash against their leader.  
"What are you doing, they're getting away!", Vinnie yelled agitated.  
"Yeah, we had that wrenchheads cold!", Modo joined his younger bro.  
But Throttle shook his head and pointed up.  
"Red light, bro's…"  
"Ah man!", Vinnie sighed.  
"We always obey the law, Vincent…"

That night, Modo walked out of the shop with a huge pile of boxes filled with root beer in his arms. He set them at the back of his bike and sighed.  
"Problem with having a mechanical wing is that I always get stuck with having the rootbeer runs…"  
He looked at his right arm.  
"Besides… this old arm is getting a little rusty and dented… And I gotta admit… It's kinda ugly too…"  
He sighed again and saw a poster from James Bomb hanging on the wall in front of him.  
"James Bomb would never have a creaky mechanical arm like this..."  
He suddenly felt sad. That stupid arm… He took a deep breath to recover himself, but he just wished he didn't.  
"Man! Something sure stinks around here… Smells almost like… " and he looked under his shoe. But nothing to be seen. "...almost like…"  
A car stopped next to him.  
"Greetings, dear friend…"  
Modo looked next to him and saw the window from the car slowly go down.  
"Limburger!", he growled and aimed his arm cannon at the stinking fish. What was that reeking fish face doing here anyway? And why was he looking so… happy?  
"Oh, do be a good chap and put that away. I've not come here to battle, I've come here to bargain…"  
Modo gritted his teeth and pointed a finger at Limburger.  
"I don't bargain with stinking slime fish scum! Whatever you want, the answer is no!" and he turned his back at Limburger, his tail lashing through the air.  
Limburger laughed, still with that satisfied smile on his face.  
"Oh really?" and he snapped in his fingers. "Dr. Karbunkle. Show my perspective new employee his signing on bonus…"  
Karbunkle stepped out of the car and walked over to Modo with a black suitcase. He opened it and showed Modo what's inside. "A new arm!"  
Modo walked closer, he just couldn't stop himself. He knew he needed to step on his bike and drive away, but he just had to look. The arm in the suitcase was silver, shiny and looked… awesome.  
"Wow…"

Kiwi was on her way to get a bath, when she suddenly heard a lot of commotion coming from the guesthouse. She quickly ran downstairs.  
"The nerve of that stinking cheesebreath!", she heard Modo yelling. She never had heard him this angry. And by the sound of it, her furniture had something to suffer too. The cracks of breaking wood were loudly heard. When she ran inside, she saw one of her chairs lying in pieces on the floor.  
"Hey! Easy on the furniture, guys… Even if I have enough money, I sure can think of a thousand things I would like to spend it on, and furniture ain't one of it…", she said, grabbing a book that was also lying on the floor. She looked at the title and smiled. James Bomb. Modo was crazy about him. It was cute, really.  
"Sorry, Kiwi ma'am", Modo said and she looked at him. He looked like shit. What was going on?  
"Modo is a little hot under the helmet", Vinnie said, but a little smile on his lips.  
"Yeah, he had a run in with Limburger", Throttle explained.  
"Oh no, Modo… Are you alright? Did he hurt you?", Kiwi quickly asked, her hands flying over his body to find wounds or anything. Modo slowly sat down.  
"No, worse… He offered me a job…"  
Kiwi froze, just like Vinnie and Throttle.  
"Say what?! No way!", Kiwi yelled.  
"Way. But don't worry, I'm not gonna take it!"  
Kiwi looked at him. Something was up. He looked so sad all of a sudden.  
"Modo… What's wrong?", she asked, gently grabbing his hand.  
"He eh… he had this pretty new arm… All smooth and shiny and stuff… Not old and creaky like this one…" and he pulled back his hand. He sighed and rested his head in his hands. Kiwi felt sorry for him. Poor Modo.  
"Hmmm. Poor guy. This just isn't like him…", she heard Throttle saying. She looked at him, not knowing what to do.  
"Yeah, we've gotta cheer him up somehow…", Vinnie agreed, rubbing his chin. Then, his face lit up and he pointed a finger in the air. "I could sing him a song?!"  
Kiwi sighed and suppressed a smile.  
"Vinnie. Aren't things bad enough?", she asked, shaking her head.  
Vinnie was about to retort, but she suddenly felt her phone buzzing. With one hand, she closed Vinnie's mouth and with the other hands, she grabbed her phone. It was a news alert. She quickly read it.  
"WHAT? Guys, listen up! Limburger took over the power plant and rebuilt it. And the weirdest thing ever; he is gonna give every citizen in Chicago free power in return…"  
"WHAT?", the mice yelled in unison.  
"Ah man, what is that stinkfish up to now…", Throttle sighed.  
"Wait, that's not all! He offered the power plant to the city in exchange for the sewer system… The mayor has promised to give him a answer by tomorrow…"  
Vinnie scratched on his head, looking confused.  
"Man, that is the weirdest thing I ever heard…"  
"Yeah… What does he want with a entire sewer system?", Modo asked and then a little sad smile appeared on his face. "Doesn't he stink bad enough already?"  
Throttle laughed.  
"Yeah, it could gag a maggot… But still… I find it very hard to believe that Plutark needs a sewer… No, there's more to it…"  
Vinnie flexed his muscles, looking all hyped up already.  
"Hero time! We've gotta find out what that catfish bait is up to!"  
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Always so eager to fight, but coming up with a plan… Nope, that just didn't exist in his world.  
"Great idea, smartass. Any suggestions how?", she snapped at him. She just couldn't help it. Sometimes that mouse worked on her nerves.  
He saw her look and immediately roped in. He gave her his most charming smile and shrugged.  
"No…"  
"Well, I think I have an idea, bro's", Throttle said and he grabbed the James Bomb book. He walked over to Modo and gently pushed it in his hands.  
"What we need is a secret agent", and he smiled friendly at his bro.  
Modo's eyes grew big, just like Vinnie's.  
"No way! I do all the cool stunts around here! Why him and not me?", he protested loudly.  
Kiwi walked over to him and gently took his hand.  
"Listen, Vin? I don't know how to say this to you, so I'm just gonna say it…" She remained silent for a moment, to build up the tension.  
Vinnie looked at her with narrowed eyes, suspicion clearly visible in his eyes.  
"You are way too loud, too arrogant and too hard to control to do such a job…" She tried to stay serious, but the look on his face made her burst out into laughter. Vinnie crossed his arms and snorted.  
"Geez, thanks. Story of my life, no appreciation."  
She punched him on the arm.  
"I'm just messing with ya. But really, Modo is the right one for the job. Besides, it was him after all who got a job offered by Limburger."  
Throttle and Modo were laughing too. Kiwi was the right person to suppress that huge ego of their younger bro sometimes.  
Vinnie pouted, but said nothing.  
Kiwi turned around and winked at Modo.

"Let's get you ready, big guy."

* * *

Please review. It means a lot to me and it keeps me motivated to post here. :)


	13. Chapter 12

Thank you so much for the reviews, glad to read you're enjoying my story!  
So, a little bit more fun in this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter twelve**

"Woow… remind me to never get Modo really mad at me…", Vinnie breathed, while throwing a doll that looked just like him on the floor of the garage.  
There was a huge hole in the chest, caused by Modo's armcannon. To make it look like Modo really had switched sides and was loyal to Limburger now, Kiwi came up with the idea to make dolls that looked like Vinnie and Throttle. She just knew Limburger wanted them death and that he was gonna ask Modo to make sure nobody was gonna interfere with his newest scheme. She knew him too well. When the dolls drove past LP on the bikes, Modo had shot them.  
"Yeah well, just as long Limburger bought it", Throttle answered, looking at the dolls. Kiwi joined them and stared at the damaged look alikes.  
"Woow is right…", she sighed.  
At that point, Modo drove inside on his bike. He pulled off his helmet. Kiwi walked over to him.  
"And? How did it go?"  
"Well… he bought it. But he's not taking any changes. I need to work for him at least a month, before I'll get the arm… And he still doesn't trust me enough to tell me his plans."  
Kiwi thought about it for a moment, but then shrugged.  
"Guess that shouldn't be that much of a surprise. You guys obviously have a history. So, now what?"  
Modo stared at his hands and sighed.  
"He is having a masked ball tonight… You know, for the important people who needs to decide if they gonna accept his offer..."  
Kiwi studied his face. He looked very unhappy about all this. But she couldn't blame him. To obey orders from your biggest enemy… well, she could only imagine how hard that must be.  
"So, you gonna need a suit then", she smiled at him. He looked up and a blush was clearly visible.  
"Yeah… and ehm… Limburger agreed to bring someone with me… So ehm.. You wanna be my escort tonight?", he stuttered.  
Kiwi's eyes grew big. She immediately looked at Vinnie, who looked very… tense, but he said nothing. She looked back at Modo, who suddenly realized what was happening.  
"OH! No, not like a date! Just to be my partner in crime, Kiwi ma'am", he quickly said.  
Kiwi felt a hint of rejection and relief at the same time. She gave herself a mental shake, annoyed because she was always feeling so much at the same time and most of the time, it didn't even make sense to her. She smiled at Modo.  
"I would love to. Let's get ready, big guy."

That night, a black limousine stopped before Limburger Plaza. The driver jumped out and quickly opened the door. Modo came out first, dressed in a suit and quickly offered his hand to someone. Kiwi took it and stepped out of the car. She was wearing a beautiful dress and her normally messy hair was now tamed and forced into a shiny bun on her head. Modo offered his arm and they both walked inside. Kiwi looked around and she had to admit, the place was looking good. It was still standing, at first. And the big hall on the ground floor was turned into the decor of a ballroom.  
"It's beautiful…", she breathed, while looking up. A big discobal was hanging on the ceiling, curtains were used as decoration... Yep. It sure was a beautiful sight. Too bad it was a party hosted by Limburger. And that they were actually on a mission. Otherwise, she might have been able to have fun. But she needed to focus.

 _Meanwhile, on the roof across the street..._

"Stay low, bro. We gotta be ready in case Modo and Kiwi needs backup", Throttle ordered.  
Vinnie sighed and wrapped his arms around him because of the cold wind. Summer had left Chicago and winter was coming..  
"You think he can handle this?", the white furred mouse asked his leader. Throttle smiled.  
"Heey, he's been watching James Bomb movies all day. Hehehe, man, he's primed!"

Kiwi noticed a lot of girls were looking at Modo. She hid her smile. She couldn't really blame them. The mouse did look good in a suit, alright. And they had absolutely no idea that his big ears and tail were real. You gotta love a masked ball. They walked past the security, who asked for their name. Modo adjusted his bow and smiled.  
"Mouse… Modo Mouse…"  
The girls by the bar swooned and giggled, looking at Modo.  
Kiwi shook her head. Who would have thought that the big guy would transform into a Prince Charming just because he was wearing a suit.  
Suddenly, they were surrounded by goons, aiming their guns at their heads. Kiwi grabbed Modo's arm a little tighter, but rescue came out of a very surprising corner.  
"My new assistent!"  
Limburger joined the group and the goons quickly put away their guns.  
"So kindly exchange him every courtesy", he ordered and the goons saluted. The guy from the security turned back to Modo.  
"Very nice costume, sir. You actually look like a… mouse! Can I get you anything?"  
Kiwi giggled, she just couldn't help it. Modo winked at her and looked arrogant at the guy.  
"Yeah, rootbeer. Very cold, not shaken, not stirred. The same for the lady, please."  
"Of course, sir. I will send your order to the bar. Enjoy the evening!" and he let Modo and Kiwi through.  
"Wauw, Modo. I must say, I'm impressed. Real smooth, really", Kiwi smiled at him and Modo chuckled.  
"It's the suit", he whispered in her ear. Kiwi laughed and they both grabbed a little hotdog that a ober offered to them.  
"Wauw. A mouse could get used to this", Modo smiled.

 _On the roof_

Vinnie and Throttle were watching their bro on a small screen. Kiwi had hacked into the camera system,, so they could watch everything closely. But Vinnie was clearly not amused.  
"Ah man, he's making time while we freezing our tails off…", he complained, his fur bristled because of the cold. Suddenly, a dove landed on his head. Vinnie flapped his arms above his head to chase it away while a growl escaped his mouth.  
"Shoo! Get off of me! Ugh! He's getting the women, while I get the wild life. Ohhh, this ain't right! I'm the cool one in the group!"  
"Y-yeah, and getting c-c-cooler by the second", Throttle responded, still watching the screen closely. He was used to the complaining of Vinnie and tried to ignore it most of the time. He suddenly saw Greasepit on the screen, and by the looks of things, that oil dump had a plan.

Modo was just about to ask Kiwi for a dance, when he heard Throttle's voice in his earpiece.  
"Modo, greasedump at three o'clock!"  
The grey furred giant looked over his shoulder and saw Greasepit throwing something at him. He pushed Kiwi behind him and lifted up his mechanic arm. The object appeared to be Greasepit's bowler hat, but not just a normal head. The edge was sharp like a knife. But nothing could cut through Modo's mechanical hand. It just bumped away. Modo smiled.  
"Steel fingers…"  
All the girls that were standing by the bar fainted. Kiwi rolled her eyes. Honestly, these women… She looked at the ceiling again and saw a loose piece of fabric. She touched Modo's arm to get his attention and again, she noticed his fur also felt different. Apparently, even if the guys were the same species, their fur wasn't the same at all. She quickly shook her head and when Modo looked at her, she pointed up. Modo followed her finger and smiled. He grabbed the loose fabric and gave it a good jerk. The disco ball that was attached to it, came loose and landed right on Greasepit, knocking him out immediately.  
"Well, that takes care of him", Kiwi laughed. Then she grew serious again.  
"Okay, enough with the fun. We need to find out what Limburger's up to."  
She dragged Modo with her to the closest hallway. They tried all the doors, but one was locked.  
Kiwi was pulling on it, but it was no use.  
"Dammit, just open, you stupid door!"  
Modo shook his head with a smile. This girl sure had a temper, alright.  
"Step aside, Kiwi ma'am. I have the key right here…" and he rolled up his sleeve. He used his armcannon to blow up the lock.  
"Smooth… I like that in a mouse", Kiwi teased and walked inside of the room. They saw a scale model of Chicago.  
"Look, there's Limburger's powerplant. And over here is the sewage treatment plant", Modo pointed out.  
"Hmmm… This whole plan stinks… I just know he's up to something and it ain't in the benefit of the city. But what?", Kiwi mumbled while looking closely at the scale model. Ah. She saw a button and pushed it. A bright light above the scale model appeared. It's light got caught by the big panels of the power plant and reflected on the city. The buildings on the scale model melted and…  
"That's it! Limburger is gonna melt down Chicago!", Kiwi called out.  
"Yeah, and all the melted steel ends up in the sewage treatment plant, where Limburger can grab it and send it to Plutark!"  
"So that's why he wanted the sewer…", Kiwi said slowly, looking at Modo. The latter looked back.  
"He's gonna use it to steal Chicago's steel…"  
"Very good, mister Mouse…"  
The sound of Limburger's voice made them turn around. Limburger was standing in the door opening, with a army of goons and Greasepit.  
"You've discovered my little plan… But I'm afraid your cleverness just cost you an arm… and your LIFE! Muawahaha!"  
Kiwi and Modo looked at each other and then, Modo looked at his body.  
"Guess this mouse won't be needing this monkey suit anymore…", and he ripped it off his body. He was wearing his usual attire under it.  
Kiwi sighted and winked playfully at him.  
"Too bad. You looked good."  
"Oh, you really should remain in formal dress, dear boy. It's so suitable for the occasion. The occasion of your death!", Limburger threatened, but he fell silent when he heard engines in the distance. He closed his eyes and sighed.  
An explosion made a huge hole in the wall and when he looked outside, he saw those other two bothersome biker mice. The two he had thought they were dead...  
"Nobody is killing anybody today, cheeselips", Throttle said. "Because here comes the cavalry."  
And he, Vinnie and Modo's bike drove inside.  
"Yeeaaaaoowww, is this good timing, or what?", Vinnie cheered and gave Modo his helmet. Modo quickly put it on and jumped on his bike.  
Limburger was furious.  
"I thought those two mice had been vaporized!", he yelled in frustration.  
"Yeah well, you can't believe anything you see, fish eyes!", Throttle laughed.  
But at that point, Limburger ran away and the goons opened fire on them. Kiwi quickly grabbed a tray that was lying on the floor (how the hell did that came there?) and held it before her like a shield. She was on her way to hide behind a pillar when a laser fire hit the tray and bounced back. It hit Vinnie right on his ass and he yelped.  
"Yiiiaaooww! Watch the merchandise, sweetheart…", he said while looking over his shoulder, slightly annoyed, but also with that teasing and arrogant smile of his. Kiwi smiled innocently with a blush on her cheeks and quickly hid behind a pillar. She could feel her breathing going faster. Easy Kiwi, easy… The mice will protect you and you are on the ground floor, so no falling down this time…

Meanwhile, the goons had grabbed their buggies and drove inside.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"  
Vinnie fired his lasers and blew a hole in the floor. One of the three buggies fell into the hole and exploded. Throttle and Modo joined him and blew everything up with their lasers. Normally, they would spend more time in chasing the goons, but the thing was… time wasn't really on their side.  
"We need to follow the big cheese, guys, before the sun comes up", Throttle said and drove to the window.  
Vinnie made a quick stop next to Kiwi.  
"Get yourself into safety, sweetheart. You okay?", he asked, a worried look in his eyes.  
She looked back at him and lay a hand on his arm. She noticed how familiar it felt touching him and that her body completely relaxed. What was this mouse doing to her? She didn't had a answer. But she realized he still was waiting for an answer. She smiled at him.  
"I'm fine, Vin. Thanks… I will grab a cab home, no problem. Now go and safe the city, macho mouse."  
Vinnie popped a wheelie and blew a hand kiss to her before following his bro's outside. He quickly catched up. They were following the purple limousine. Suddenly, the car sped forward using his jets. The mice also gained speed. But they couldn't catch up and the limousine drove inside the power plant.  
"Uh oh… The big cheeeeese made it insiiiide…", Vinnie sang.  
"Yeah, things could get starting to get little hot around here…", Throttle sighed, looking how the sun was coming up already. One panel reflected the heat and shot at the mice, hitting Vinnie's tail in the process.  
"YIAUW! Ah man…", and he quickly grabbed his tail. He opened his visor and blew out the flame. "I hate tan lines…"  
"Should've worn my sunscreen", Modo agreed.  
The sun came up further and the panels turned.  
"Uh oh… Hot newsflash bro's", and Throttle pointed at the panels.  
"In about another ten seconds…", Modo rumbled.  
"...Chitown is gonna be frytown!", Vinnie said with a dark voice.  
"Let's ride…", and Throttle pumped a fist in the air, without noticing he was saying it wrong.  
Modo and Vinnie looked at each other in confusion.  
"... and rock?", they asked, smiling at their leader. Throttle shrugged with a little embarrassed smile on his face and they flew inside the building of the power plant.

They heard Limburger saying something about turning Chicago into a giant pizza and Throttle smiled.  
"I would cancel that order, cheese face."  
"Yeah, 'cause we're here to deliver our own specialty!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Plutarkian pizza with extra stink cheese", Modo said, pointing at Limburger.  
"In thirty seconds or less", Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, and you pay!", Vinnie finished and they revved their bikes.  
Throttle crashed into Karbunkle, making the doctor fall on the floor. Modo jumped off his bike and landed on Limburger.  
He grabbed him by the suit and looked at him with his eye glowing red, his nose almost touching Limburger's nose.  
"Hey there, boss man. Time to discuss my resignation", he growled.  
Throttle and Vinnie had surrounded Karbunkle, who was still lying on the floor. The black suitcase was lying next to him.  
"Show's over, doc", Throttle said. "Just get up and come along quietly."  
"Here", Vinnie said and offered his hand. "I'll give ya a hand…"  
Karbunkle looked at the white furred mouse his hand and a smile appeared on his face.  
"A hand? An excellent idea, you mutant moles… " and he reached into the suitcase. "But let me give you one instead…" and he jumped on his feet, with the shiny mechanical arm attached to his own. Vinnie looked at him in surprise, but before he could react… BAM. Karbunkle hit him right in the face and Vinnie flew off his bike. Throttle gritted his teeth, anger flamed up because someone was hurting his bro.  
"Why, you…", he started, but Karbunkle fired at him with the cannon in the mechanical arm. It hit him right in the chest and he also fell on the floor, not able to move for now. Luckily, the laser didn't burn a hole in him, like Modo's armcannon did with the dolls. But it still hurted like hell.  
"Yes! An impressive instrument, is it not?", Karbunkle cackled. Modo heard his voice and looked into his direction. When he saw the arm, his eye turned back to normal and a eager smile appeared on his face.  
"Yes!", Limburger answered, still stuck in the claws of Modo. "And it's yours! All yours! All you have to do is release me."  
Modo looked back at Limburger, almost in a trance. "Release.. you?", he asked slowly.  
"Exactly!", Limburger answered. He had seen the eager look on the mouse his face and tried to make advantage of it. "Permit me to depart, and that spectaculair new arm is yours to possess."  
"That new arm? For me?", Modo asked, looking at the arm again.  
Vinnie and Throttle, both relatively unharmed, were watching the scene with a shocked look on their face. Vinnie got on his knees.  
"No, big guy…", he started, but Throttle raised his hand to stop him. The tan furred mouse knew this had to be Modo's decision. Only he could make this decision. Him and him alone.  
"That's right…", Limburger encouraged the grey furred giant. "Put me down, release me, and the arm is yours. What do you say…?"  
Modo was silent for a moment and stared at the arm. But it suddenly dawned on him. What was he thinking? Taking something from the enemy, just for personal happiness? No way. That's just no who he was. His eye glowed red again and he gritted his teeth.  
"What do I say? I say, I would give both my arms to get rid of a stinkfish like you!" and he threw Limburger away. The big fish screamed in fear, just like Karbunkle, since he got crashed under his big, stinking boss.  
The doctor scrambled on his feet and fired with 'his' arm. But Modo dodged it and fired back. Of course, he hit his target and the cannon on Karbunkle's arm exploded. Karbunkle stared it for a moment, shock written on his face.  
"You just can't beat the real thing", Modo smiled and he walked over to Karbunkle. "Now, for the final test."  
He grabbed Karbunkle's arm with his and within seconds, he crushed it. The whole thing exploded and Karbunkle flew away, loud screaming. He bumped against Limburger and they both ran away, outside.  
"That stinkin' cheese face is booking!", Modo yelled, but the explosion of the arm had caused real damage to the place. Flames and smoke filled the room.  
"This place is going ballistic!", Vinnie warned and he pushed his bro's to the exit. But Modo suddenly stopped.  
"You bro's keep going, I'll catch up!"  
"Say WHAT?", Vinnie yelled. Even he wasn't that stupid.  
"Come on, you can't stay here!", Throttle agreed with Vinnie.  
"There's something I've gotta do!" and the grey furred giant disappeared into the flames.  
"Modo!" Vinnie wanted to go after him, but Throttle grabbed his arm.  
"Vincent, no! We gotta get outta here, come on! Get the bikes to safety!"  
"But Modo…"  
"Will be fine, Vincent. GO!"  
Vinnie looked one more time into the direction Modo had disappeared, but decided to listen to Throttle. They both ran to their bikes and quickly drove outside. Modo's bike followed them.  
When they were far enough, they turned their bikes and looked back at the building. They saw Modo standing on top of it, pushing the panels into another direction. The beam changed course, into the direction of LP.  
They saw smoke coming up in the distance and smiled. Limburger had, again, some rebuilding to do.  
Modo jumped down and joined his bro's. They jumped into the air, cheering and slamming their fists against each others.  
They quickly mounted their bikes, and just when they drove away, the whole building exploded.  
"AAAOOOWWW, I love a spectaculair ending!", Vinnie cheered, happy that his bro was safe and he always liked a big bang. The bigger, the better.  
"You bet!", Throttle smiled, also relieved. "Saved the day…"  
"And did it in style!", Modo smiled.  
"We are the baddest mamma jammers in the universe!" Vinnie popped a wheelie.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

They found Kiwi on the couch, dressed back into her usual clothing. Her hair was also turned back into the messy ponytail the guys were familiar with.  
"Hey guys, I assume you stopped the big cheese?", she asked, yawning. She had waited all night till the guys got back. She was exhausted, but so happy they were okay.  
"Of course!", Vinnie bragged, grabbing a can of rootbeer.  
Modo smiled at Kiwi.  
"We made a pretty good team, Kiwi ma'am. Thanks for the assistance!" and he gave her a high five. Kiwi smiled at him.  
"No problem, Mouse… Modo Mouse... " and she burst out into laughter. Everybody soon joined her. Oh momma. She was never gonna let him forget that.  
Kiwi looked at them, how they were laughing and making fun of Modo. She felt a warm feeling inside. This was her family. And she loved it to see them like this. Like they didn't had a single care in the world. She suddenly felt a little sad again, but she quickly shook it off. Now was not the time. Now, it was time for laughter. For fun. For joy. They deserved it. But then, didn't they all?

 _A few weeks later..._

Kiwi woke up from loud voices in the garden. And she knew the mice good enough to hear there was something wrong. She quickly got dressed and hasted downstairs. When she wanted to enter the garden, she immediately understood what was going on and a big smile almost split her face in half.  
"SWEETHEART! What the hell is going on?", she heard a demanding voice, the moment she had appeared on the doorstep.  
"Yeah, what in the world is this?", Throttle asked, also a little panicked.  
Modo was just staring at the floor. Kiwi quickly put on some warm shoes and walked over to them. They were wearing the warm coat's she had bought for them. Even if they had a fur, the cold still bothered them. Vinnie, of course, at first immediately stated he wasn't gonna hide his studly body, but after a few days of driving in the cold wind, he had gave up.  
"Easy, guys. Nothing is wrong. This…", but Vinnie interrupted her.  
"Nothing's wrong? NOTHING'S WRONG?! Are you still sleeping, sweetheart? Everything is WHITE. So I say there IS something wrong!", and he looked wildly around him.  
"It's snow, Vinnie."  
He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Snow?"  
"Snow." And she gave him a teasing smile.  
Vinnie almost lost his patience, but Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.  
"Chill, Vincent. What is snow, Kiwi?"  
"Frozen rain. It's winter. And that means cold. And cold means snow!", and she clapped her hands excitedly.  
"Why are you so happy about it, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo finally opened his mouth. Kiwi's smile even grew bigger.  
"Because snow, Modo my friend, means FUN!"  
She bent over and grabbed a handful of snow. She kneaded it to a ball and threw it full in Vinnie's face. The white furred mouse hadn't expect that at all, and he stumbled back, wiping off his face. He was about to say something, but he stared at his hands. The snow slowly melted into water. This stuff was weird alright. But harmless. Well, sorta… He narrowed his eyes at Kiwi, who was laughing so hard she almost fell on the floor. Payback time. He slowly walked closer to her and tackled her with his tail. She fell face forward into the snow.  
"Who's laughing now, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked teasing, looking at her. Kiwi slowly lifted her head.  
"You are so dead!"  
And that was the beginning of the first snowball fight for the Biker Mice From Mars.

"YO! Throttle?", Vinnie yelled with a high voice. Throttle, who was busy with making his first snowball, looked up.  
"Yeah, Vinnie…", but before he could say more, a huge snowball flew right in his face. He coughed and shook his head.  
"HAHAHA! I just wanna warn you to duck!", Vinnie laughed. He looked at Kiwi, who was standing next to him. "I guess I should've told him sooner, huh?" and he winked at her. Kiwi shook her head, but her lips curled into a little smile.  
"Oh, Vincent?", they suddenly heard and they both looked at Throttle.  
The tan furred mouse had a huge snowball in his hands and Kiwi saw he was about to throw it. She quickly stepped aside. But when Throttle threw it, Vinnie dodged it easily. Unfortunately, because of that, it hit Modo on the back of his head and he fell face forward into his first self made snowman. He looked over his shoulder, a mischievous smile on his face. Oh boy. Kiwi slowly walked out of the line of fire. Right on time, because Modo threw a snowball almost as big as a skippyball. But again, Vinnie dodged it, laughing out loud.  
"Haaahahaa, Vinnie the blur! You can't hit…" BAM. "...Vinnie?", he yelped to finish his sentence. Throttle had finally succeeded to hit the white furred mouse full in the face.  
"Oh yeah?", Modo called out and jumped on top of his younger bro, tackling him.  
"Eat this!", Kiwi yelled and jumped on top of them.  
"Watch your back!" and Throttle also joined them.  
Since Vinnie was standing on a small hill at the back of the garden, they slowly started to slide down. But soon, faster and faster and before they knew it, they crashed against the fence, laughing loud.  
"Woow! Oh man, this snow stuff is dangerous!", Modo managed to squeeze out between laughing. Vinnie, who was lying on his belly, looked up at him.  
"Yeaahh! Great, ain't it?" and they all laughed.  
It was then they suddenly heard a strange noise. Throttle looked up and pricked his ears.  
"You guys hear that too?", he asked, standing up. His bro's followed his example and they looked over the fence. There was a big park across the streets and where it first was filled with playing children…  
"What the heck are those things?", Modo asked confused. They saw a whole army of… robots? Yeah, guess that's the most logical explanation. They all had tubes as arms and by the looks of things, they used it to suck up the snow.  
Throttle sighed. "Hmmm, I don't know… But if you ask me, they look like mice munchers!"  
The mice whistled between their teeth and the bikes stopped next to them.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"  
Kiwi tried to stop them. "Guys, wait! There is something you need to know…" but they were already gone. Kiwi sighed. "Well, guess you have to find out for yourselves then…"

The mice drove to the army of snowsuckers, but noticed the bikes had a pretty hard time riding in the snow.  
"Is it just me, or is this snow stuff kinda… slippery?", Vinnie asked, trying to hold his bike under control.  
"Yeah… But we can't go back, Vincent. We need to stop these bozo's", Throttle said. Modo activated his laser on his bike, to melt down the snow and clear the road.  
"Okay, time to get on top of the situation", Vinnie smiled when his rear tire completely sank in the snow. He saw a big, metal sleigh lying in front of him, probably left behind when the childen had fleed from the snowsuckers.  
"Let's rock… and slide!", he cheered and activated his jets. He jumped in the air and parked his bike on the sleigh. The sleigh flew forward, but it was hard for Vinnie to control it. He started spinning.  
"Waaaoooowww, I can't get no, HAHAHA, extra attraction!", he sang, very off key and when he finally had some control, he joined his bro's.  
They were now close enough and they all fired a rocket. The front row of the army exploded. But when they jumped over it to avoid they got caught into their own created explosion, Modo landed right on a frozen pond. He heard the ice cracking.  
"Momma?", he squealed, right before he crashed through the ice.  
Vinnie, who was still riding on his sleigh, tried to fire his laser at the snowsuckers, but again, he lost control and the sleigh started spinning again.  
"WAAOOOWWW, this battle plan needs a liiiiiitle work!", he yelped.  
Throttle jumped off a hill and landed straight on the snowsuckers. The good news was, it destroyed them. But Throttle flew into the air with his bike, completely out of control. He landed in a big pile of snow.  
"Oempf! Hmmm… not quiet the finish I had in mind…"  
He quickly mounted his bike again and drove, or maybe is slithered a better way to describe it, to his bro's. Vinnie had ditched the sleigh and was standing next to Modo, who was looking almost blue because of the cold water he had fell into.  
"Well, I don't know where these machines came from… But it's time to chill them out!" and Throttle fired his biggest rockets. That worked. The ones that didn't explode, turned around and walked away.  
"Yiiaaoooww, they're turning tail!", Vinnie cheered. Normally, he hated it when that happened. That usually meant the end of a fight. But with this snow stuff he had absolutely no control over his bike. That made the fight a lot less fun.  
"Damn! I could've used the exercise to warm me back up!", Modo shivered.  
"Don't worry, bro. If those machines came from Limburger, you can bet things will get plenty hot before long… In the meantime, we need to find a way to ride our bikes in the snow. Back to base!"

The next few days, they heard nothing from Limburger. That gave the mice enough time to prepare their bikes. Kiwi had the brilliant idea to turn the bikes into sleds. And it worked. So, now it was just waiting till Limburger was gonna make his move.  
"Why don't we go buy a Christmas tree?", Kiwi suggested, to distract the mice. It was obvious they were getting tired of waiting. Especially Vinnie. So, to avoid her house, guest house or anything around here for that matter, were gonna suffer because of his impatience, she figured they needed a distraction.  
"A what?", Vinnie asked while he was pacing through the living room. Modo and Throttle were sitting on the couch, their eyes following their younger bro. They looked calm, but the tips of their tails were twitching. A sign Kiwi had learned to recognize.  
"A Christmas tree. Here on Earth, we celebrate Christmas. It's originally to celebrate the birth of Jesus and…", but she trailed off when she saw the looks on their faces. Vinnie had stopped his pacing.  
"Ahum. Never mind. No need to tell you anything about Earth history. Christmas means a big tree which you can decorate with lights, balls… anything you like actually. And when it's Christmas, Santa will put presents underneath it...", she trailed off again.  
The mice were still staring at her.  
"Decorating a tree?", Vinnie asked, his eyes wide open. Then, his mouth curled into a arrogant smile. "Really, you Earthers are weird…"  
"I think what Vinnie means is that we are happy to go buy a Christmas tree with ya, Kiwi ma'am", Modo quickly intervened when he saw the look on Kiwi's face. Vinnie was about to retort, but Throttle gave him a warning look.  
"Yeah, sounds like fun, Kiwi", the tan furred mouse said.  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, clearly not amused. He was all hyped up, ready to fight, and now he needed to go buy a tree. Ugh. Throttle saw his annoyance and quickly came up with something, to avoid an argument. With Vinnie in this mood, it was the best to keep him as calm as possible. Not that he was scared of his younger bro, oh no... He just didn't want his bro to destroy the house.  
"Okay, this is how we're gonna do it. Kiwi, you go by car. We will follow you on the bikes."  
Kiwi nodded. "I'll see you guys there. It's next to the Wallmart, okay?" and she left the room.  
Vinnie opened his mouth again, but Throttle cut him off.  
"The last one there is a slimy stinkface!", he suddenly yelled. Vinnie cheered and ran to his bike. Modo smiled at Throttle.  
"You just know him so well", he rumbled. Throttle smiled back.  
"Yeah well, it ain't that hard, right? Let's go."

A few hours later, they were back with a huge tree and a pounding headache. This was definitely the last time they were gonna bring Vinnie with them when they were waiting for a fight, Throttle decided. It felt like he was babysitting his little sister again. Vinnie clearly hadn't enjoyed himself either. Everytime he had wanted to touch something, or when he came up with a idea, Throttle had told him not to. Ugh. Kiwi and Modo had the same exhausted look on their faces. But hey, they had a tree!  
Modo, always on the front row to help, had set the tree in the corner of the living room. Kiwi had found the boxes filled with decorations. Modo helped her decorating it and took her note about using everything to decorate the tree way too serious. He was now standing on a small ladder, putting a rocket on top of the tree. Kiwi giggled while looking at him. This was for sure the weirdest Christmas tree she ever had. But she didn't care. As long as the mice were here, she was fine with everything. Well, almost everything. The weather outside was bad. It had changed all of a sudden while they were shopping. Luckily, they had made it home safely.  
Vinnie was looking outside.  
"Man, I heard this song on the radio about dreaming of a white Christmas, but this is more like a nightmare…", he sighed.  
Throttle, who was lying on the couch to control his headache, also sighed. If Vinnie didn't stop his complaining now, then… But it was the radio who came to rescue.  
"With no food, heat or running water, things look bad for the Orphan Shelter of Chicago. The emergency services cannot reach them because of snow blocking the way. All any of us can do now, is pray for a miracle", the newscaster sighed.  
The mice looked at each other and they quickly ran to their bikes.  
"That's us!", Modo said.  
"Yiiaaooww, miracles incorporated", Vinnie cheered happily.  
"Neither hail…", Throttle started.  
"...nor snow…", Modo continued, putting on his helmet.  
"... nor Plutarkian stinkfish…", Vinnie growled, mounting his bike.  
"... will stop the Biker Mice from saving those kids. Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

Kiwi watched them go, a warm feeling inside of her.  
"They truly are heroes", she whispered.

* * *

Hehehe. Please review. :)


	14. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews!

In this chapter, I used the song "The Messenger" from Linkin Park. All the credits for these words are for them.

* * *

 **Chapter thirteen**

The mice were driving through the streets, on their way to help the orphans. The weather was bad, but as always, the mice tried to make the best of it.  
"Dashing through the snow", Throttle started to sing.  
"On a three hundred horse powered sleigh", Modo continued.  
"Over the streets we gooooo", Vinnie cheered.  
"Going to whip tail all the waaaaaaay", they all sang together.  
They reached the blocked road and just crashed through the big pile of snow. The vehicles for the orphanage followed them, now able to use the road again.  
"AAAOOOWWW, on Throttle, on Modo, on Biker Mice all!", Vinnie cheered, glad to finally have something to do.  
Throttle looked over his shoulder.  
"Hey, we're doing it, bro's! The relief trucks are getting through."  
"Yeah, Merry Christmas to all and to all and…", Modo trailed off, seeing a huge hailstone coming straight at him. "... goodnight…"  
The big piece of ice missed him and landed behind him with a loud bang. Vinnie looked up and saw the same view coming straight at him.  
"Yiiiikes", he yelled and made a sharp turn to avoid it. "This sure ain't Christmas ornaments…"

Hell broke loose. Hailstones as big as a footballs rained down and the mice were having a hard time to avoid them.  
"Oh man, we need to hurry, bro's", Throttle said, while looking ahead. The Orphanage Shelter was already heavily damaged because of this weird storm.  
"These kids are in trouble!", Modo yelled and he revved his engine.  
They heard the kids screaming in fear.  
"You said it, bro, we've gotta do something", Throttle also revved his engine.  
"Or we all gonna get our tails smashed", Vinnie agreed, still using all his skills to avoid the big pieces of ice.  
"This weather ain't natural!", Modo growled. Even if it was only this week he had seen snow for the first time, even he know this couldn't be normal.  
"Yeah, must be some sort of trap!", Vinnie said, slightly annoyed now too.  
"Well, in that case, let's make it a trap sheet, bro's", and Throttle grabbed his purple laser gun. "Follow me!" and he pushed a button on his helmet. The visor locked the targets and made sure Throttle could hit them. While shooting at the huge hailstones, he drove straight to the orphans, followed by Vinnie and Modo.  
"Yeaaahhh, hot stuff in tha chillzoooone", Vinnie smiled.  
"Yippie ta ya yo!", Modo yelled, raising his armcannon and also shooting at the big ice pieces.  
They finally came close enough.  
"We've gotta rescue these kids!", Throttle ordered and sped forward.  
They crashed through the doors, right after a huge hailstone crashed through the roof and landed on the Christmas tree. The mice quickly grabbed the kids and drove outside. Right on time, because the whole building crashed.  
They stopped their bikes under a tunnel closeby, watching the building crumbling into dust.  
"Wooow, looks like the storm's over", Vinnie said, with two kids on his bike and one sitting on his neck. He was right. It was still cold, still windy, but the hailstorm was gone.  
"For now…", Throttle said, looking at the sky. He also had two kids sitting on his bike. Modo looked at on of the kids standing next to his bike, the one he just rescued.  
"You okay?", he asked.  
The one that was still sitting on the front of his bike, answered. It was just a little girl, about 10 years old. She was only wearing her pyjama.  
"Yeah, we're okay, but our house is gone…", she said with a small voice. She started crying. "And it's almost Christmas…"  
Modo, who always had a soft spot for children, felt a tear escaping his eye. Those poor kids. They didn't deserve this. They already had suffered so much… and now, all that they had left, was gone…  
"Hey, easy big fella…", Throttle said when he saw how Modo was touched by this. But he also felt angry about this. "Hey kids! We'll fix this… somehow… You know, I got a feeling this storm was no accident."  
"Hmmm, I'd say you're right", Vinnie said with a low voice, still with a kid on his neck. He had used his visor to zoom in on LP. "Look! The big cheese is making sure his toes… stays toasty."  
His bro's did the same and saw what their younger bro meant. It looked like Limburger had his own personal weather around the tower and it was sunny and warm.  
"He must have found a way to control the weather…", Modo said, still with a little emotion in his voice.  
"Ah man, I knew this whole setup had been a trap!", Throttle sighed.  
Vinnie had it. "Come on! Something fat, smelly and uuuugly is gonna pay for this!", he growled while gently setting the kids on the floor.  
Throttle looked at him and felt the same anger as his white furred companion.  
"You said a mouthful, Vincent. Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"  
The kids waved at them, and shortly after the mice had left, the relief trucks arrived and took care of them.

When the mice were close to LP, they saw Limburger standing on the roof.  
"You've stepped way over the line this time, Limburger!", Modo yelled at him, his eye glowing red.  
"Yeah! Nobody endangers kids while the mamma jammers from Mars are around!", Vinnie said while firing a rocket. He missed Limburger, but hit the building. Angrily he shot another rocket. His bro's joined him. But Limburger was prepared. He ran to a strange, pink airplane, followed by Karbunkle and a woman they didn't know. She must be the villain Limburger had hired. The one who could control the weather. The mice kept firing, but when Throttle saw Limburger flying away, he gave a short whistle.  
"Wow, wow, hold your fire, bro's. Our stinkbird is flying the coop…"  
"Yeah? Well… He's gotta come down somewhere…", Vinnie said with a dangerously low voice.  
"And I got a face planting present for him when he does…", Modo finished the threat, waving his armcannon.  
Throttle laughed."I hear you, bro's. So, let's dash away, dash away and dash away all!"

They followed Limburger to Lake Michigan. They saw the pink plane hanging in the air above the frozen lake. They jumped over a pile of snow and fired their laser at the plane.  
"AAAOOWW, looks like a cooooool party!", Vinnie yelled happily.  
"Yeaahhh, and we came to break the ice!", Modo answered, while shooting his laser.  
"Let's heat them up!", Throttle agreed, also firing.  
He saw that the same snow suckers were standing spread over the whole frozen lake. If he had to guess what Limburger's plan was, then it was controlling the weather to make sure it was cold, so that he could steal the ice and snow for Plutark. After all, ice and snow did turn into water when it melted. And Plutark always needed water.  
Suddenly, the snow suckers stopped with what they were doing and walked closer to each other. They started climbing on each others shoulders, as far as a robot even has shoulders. The mice stopped their bikes and Vinnie opened his visor, looking closely at the scene in front of him.  
"What the…", Modo said slowly.  
"Looks like… showtime!" and Throttle braced himself.  
The snowsuckers continued climbing on each other and the result was a huge robot, almost as big as Limburger skyscraper. The mice stared at it, somehow impressed.  
"Well, you know what they say… The bigger they are...", Throttle tried to lighten up the mood.  
"The harder they fall!", Vinnie finished between gritted teeth.  
"Fall? I thought this was winter!", Modo suddenly said with a confused look on his face.  
Vinnie and Throttle stared at him for a moment, but then rolled their eyes.  
"Oh man…"  
Modo chuckled embarrassed, but the robot took their attention again. It slowly came to life and took a step into their direction.  
"Stay cool, bro's… 'cause a mighty big problem is about to come down!"  
They saw the big foot above their heads.  
"MOVE!" and they quickly split up.  
"Hey, how about we give frosty here a hot foot", Throttle said, while turning his bike.  
They all three drove straight towards the big robot, firing their laser, but it was no use. The robot lifted his feet again and stamped on the ground. That caused a wave of snow, ice and cold water. And it was coming straight at the mice. They quickly turned around and sped away, but the wave was coming closer and closer. Even if they could ride their bikes in the snow now because of the adjustments, they still couldn't drive full speed.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder.  
"Wow, that's one hell of a tsunami", he breathed and when he looked forward, he saw a huge pile of snow and ice. Since he was the daredevil of the group and loved taking risks, he pushed a button on his bike. His jets activated and he used the pile as a ramp. He flew straight up, laughing hysterically. "AAAOOWW!"

Meanwhile, Throttle and Modo drove further, knowing their bro would come down later. The robot followed them, and they did everything they could to take it down. But it wasn't that easy. Suddenly, the robot shot snow and ice at Throttle and because of the hard hit, Throttle's bike got out of control and started spinning. Unfortunately, he slid straight towards a small cliff. And small or not, it still was too high to fall down without consequences.  
Modo quickly followed him. "Hang on, bro!"  
"Believe me, I'm doing my best, man!", Throttle answered, but there was nothing he could do. He flew over the edge of the cliff, but before he could fall down, Modo grabbed him by the arm. Throttle quickly grabbed his bike with his tail and Modo used all his strength to lift them up. Throttle flew through the air and landed on his bike.  
He quickly drove further, ready for another attack. Modo followed him. No time to talk. They needed to get this thing out of order.

In the sky, Vinnie noticed he was losing speed and he made a looping. When the nose of his bike was facing down, he fired his jets again. With dangerous speed, he flew straight towards the big robot. He smiled, enjoying himself.  
"Here goes nothing…", he chuckled and fired a rope. The rope whirled around the arm of the robot and so did his bike. Vinnie quickly jumped off, landed on the arm of the robot, almost lost his balance, but then, fell face forward into the robot. "WOOAAOOW"  
Throttle and Modo saw it all happen and smiled.  
"Hehe, that's our Vinnie", Modo snickered, while shaking his head.  
"Crazy kid… But lot's of style", Throttle agreed, also a big smile on his face.  
The robot started to smash his own head, probably because Vinnie made it into the control room.  
And oh yeah, he did. The white furred mouse was looking around him, at all the technology, switches, handles… He rubbed his chin.  
"Complex city… This requires concentration and skills…"  
He was silent for a moment, but then a big grin almost split his face in half. Like he had the patience to concentrate. Skills, however, was something he did have. Maybe not the ones that were required now, but hey… Skills are skills. He shrugged and grabbed a handle. It broke off and Vinnie let himself go. Finally, he was able to release some Limburger related stress. He smashed everything he saw, using the metal pipe in his hands but also his feet. He was laughing almost manically, so happy that he finally could let himself go for a moment.  
When everything was broken, he quickly jumped out of the same hole he came in. His bike was standing under him on the shoulder of the robot, waiting to blow this joint. He landed on it and hit the accelerator. Right on time, because the big robot was starting to get out of control. He flew straight towards the pink plane.  
"Hahahaaaa, make room for one more!"  
And he landed on one of the wings. That made the ship spinning in the air like a leaf in the wind. Vinnie was still laughing so loud, he almost couldn't breathe. Man, this was one awesome day.

Meanwhile, Modo and Throttle took care of the robot. Now it was out of control, he didn't came after them anymore. The problem was, it kept shooting snow and ice everywhere and Modo almost got hit.  
"Say bro, I'm about to get my tail toasted here", he said in the radio. Throttle quickly joined him.  
"Well, then let's get cooking, man! Double heater number five!"  
They both fired their laser, aimed on the floor, and drove circles around the robot. After a few rounds, the ice of the lake broke and the robot fell down. Hard. Just like they had predicted.  
"Bingo!"  
The robot raised his hand into the air and grabbed the spinning plane that just flew over. Vinnie, who was still standing with his bike on the wing, slowly stopped laughing and looked at Limburger with his most charming smile.  
"Hehehe, sorry I can't stay", and he waved at the big fish. He revved his bike and jumped off the plane.  
"Have a nice winter, and a great FALL!" and he drove towards his bro's. Limburger was furious.  
"I'll have you broiled for this, you mouse!", but the mice ignored him.  
They were turning their bikes, ready for another round, but…  
"Hey! Where did it go?", Modo asked, looking around him in confusion. The robot and the plane where nowhere to be found.  
"Dammit. Just when it was starting to get real fun!", Vinnie pouted.  
"You know, bro's. Something tells me Limburger problems are getting bigger by the second", Throttle smiled.  
And he turned out to be right. Apparently, they had transported the whole robot back to the tower. But the robot was about the same size and the building had exploded.

"Sweetheart! Sweetheart, we had the most awesome day, we saved those kids, we kicked some majorly tail, and…", Vinnie babbled hyper when they walked into Kiwi's home. Kiwi was standing in the kitchen, busy with cooking diner. She turned around and smiled at Vinnie. He could be so cute sometimes. Like a small kid that came back from a birthday party. She held up her hand to stop the stream of words and Vinnie closed his mouth.  
"I wanna hear it all during diner, okay?", she smiled at him. Which was very clever of her, because she knew when you gave the mice food, they suddenly could be quiet as mice. Vinnie nodded and grabbed a rootbeer. Throttle and Modo sat down at the table, happy to finally be back into the warmth of the house. It was indeed one hell of a fight, but the cold… they really hated it. Vinnie was still hyped up. He couldn't sit still and he was bouncing on his feet.  
"Do I need to knock him down?", Modo whispered.  
"HEY! I heard that!", Vinnie yelled, whirling around to look at his grey furred bro. Modo smiled innocently. Kiwi quickly intervened, before her whole kitchen was gonna be destroyed by three big wrestling macho mice.  
"Okay, okay. Guys, diner is ready", and she quickly set the hotdogs on the table. Vinnie immediately grabbed a seat and started to stuff his mouth full. Finally, some peace and quietness… They all sighed and enjoyed the rest of their diner in silence.  
When they were done, Kiwi shove away her plate. Throttle told her what had happened and she sighed.  
"What about those kids, guys? We need to help them. It's Christmas in three days, they can't celebrate that on the streets, now can they?"  
"No… but how can we help them?", Modo asked, rubbing his chin. Kiwi thought about it for a moment. She did have a lot of money. So maybe she could arrange something for them. She jumped on her feet.  
"You guys clean up this mess, I'm gonna make some calls." And she left the kitchen.

Later that night, Kiwi walked to the guest house. When she came in, she saw Modo and Throttle sitting on couch, watching a football game. Vinnie was nowhere to be found. She dropped on the other couch.  
"It's all settled, guys. The kids don't have to celebrate Christmas on the street", she smiled at them.  
Modo turned off the tv and looked at her, a big smile on his face.  
"How did you do that, Kiwi ma'am?"  
"I've called an old friend of my dad, he's a estate agent. Story short; I'm now renting a big house just outside town and the kids can live there with the people who takes care of them. Basically, I gave them a new home."  
Throttle and Modo were silent for a moment, impressed by this charity.  
"That's very nice of you, Kiwi", Throttle said eventually. Kiwi shrugged, clearly not that impressed.  
"It's the least I could do for them. Nobody deserves a ruined Christmas."  
"So true, Kiwi ma'am, so true", Modo nodded, clearly relieved the kids were safed.  
"Where is that white furred loudmouth by the way?", Kiwi asked, looking around her. Throttle shrugged.  
"Guess he's in his room."  
Kiwi nodded and decided to look if he was okay. Isolating himself just wasn't his thing. She knocked on the door and before Vinnie could answer, she opened it. It was dark in the room and she gave her eyes some time to get used to it. She saw Vinnie lying on his belly on the bed, his clothes still on. By the looks of things, he just walked in, dropped on the bed and fell asleep immediately. Probably tired from the fight. Adrenaline was a beautiful thing, but when it wore off, you ended up like a wrack. She smiled and slowly sat down on the bed. She looked at his face, completely relaxed. He was lying with his masked side down, so she could take a good look at the unharmed side of his face. Her eyes followed the contours of his forehead, nose and mouth. His buck teeth, his black nose, his lashes… She just sat there, staring at him. His beautiful snow white fur. His big ears, the one he wasn't lying on now flattened next to his face. She suddenly realized what she was doing. She quickly stood up, but when she wanted to leave the room, Vinnie suddenly moaned. She froze and turned around. His face, that was so relaxed just seconds ago, was now twitching. He gritted his teeth and growled, his tail started to lash. She stared at him, still with one hand on the doorknob. He was dreaming, she realised. Worse, he was having a nightmare. She hesitated, but let go off the doorknob and walked back to the bed. She ducked when his tail almost hit her in the face and she sat down again. She stretched her hand, let it float for a moment, but then she lay her hand on his arm.  
"Ssshh, Vin. It's okay", she whispered.  
She saw his ear twitching, in the direction of the sound of her voice. But he didn't woke up. And he was still restless. Agony was written on his face, his eyes were flying in every direction under his closed eyelids, he was breathing heavily.  
"Ssshh… You're safe, Vin. Nothing can harm you here. And if they try, I will protect you. I will never let anyone hurt you…"  
Suddenly, Vinnie jerked upright, his ruby red eyes wide open, filled with panic. Kiwi was startled, but quickly recovered herself. Vinnie stared at her.  
"It's just me, Vin. Easy now…", Kiwi said slowly and softly.  
She gently took his hand and he still stared at her. By the looks of things, he wasn't exactly in the world of the living. But he seemed to be able to hear her. Kiwi took a deep breath and started to sing, very soft.

" _When you feel you're alone…  
_ _Cut off from this cruel world…  
_ _Your instinct is telling you to run…  
_ _Listen to your heart…  
_ _Those angel voices…  
_ _They'll sing to you  
_ _They'll be your guide back home…  
_ _When life leaves us blind…  
_ _Love keeps us kind…"_

He slowly relaxed and lay down again. His eyes closed and his breathing became calmer.

" _When you've suffered enough…  
_ _And your spirit is breaking…  
_ _You're growing desperate from the fight…  
_ _Remember you're loved…  
_ _And you always will be…  
_ _This melody will bring you right back home…  
_ _When life leaves us blind…  
_ _Love keeps us kind…"_

When she sang the last note, she looked at him. His face was completely relaxed again. His breathing was calm. His tail was lying like a lifeless snake on the bed. And he was still holding her hand. She stared at it, at their entwined fingers… With a deep sigh, she slowly pulled back her hand. Vinnie rolled on his side, also letting out a deep sigh. Like he knew what was happening. Like he felt the same way as her. Kiwi looked one more time at him, turned around and slowly closed the door behind her. When she came back into the living room, Modo and Throttle looked at her.  
"And?"  
"Sleeping like a baby", she said distracted and she just walked outside, back to her own house. Modo and Throttle looked at each other and shrugged. They focussed their attention back on the game.  
That night, a girl dreamed about a white furred mouse. A white furred mouse dreamed about a girl. But when they woke up, they both couldn't remember the dream. They both started the day like they always did, thinking about everything, except a white furred mouse. Everything, except a girl.

" _We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!"_

Even sweet old Georgie Brown was playing Christmas songs on his radio. It was Christmas eve, and Kiwi was sitting on the floor, next to the Christmas tree. She looked at the presents that were lying under the tree, a exited blush on her cheeks. Christmas always brought back the little kid inside of her. Especially now, now she wasn't alone anymore. She looked at the mice, her face glowing.  
"Presents time!", she cheered and grabbed the first one.  
It was for Throttle. She gave it to him, almost bouncing on her feet. Throttle took it with a smile on his face. He opened it. It was a beautiful red bandana, made from a very soft fabric.  
"Wow, this is beautiful." He looked at Kiwi. "Thank you!"  
Kiwi smiled. "You're welcome! Next!"  
The next one was for Modo. The big guy obviously felt slightly uncomfortable while unwrapping his packet. But when he saw what it was, his eyes grew big.  
"Oh momma, all the dvd's from James Bomb! This is great! Thanks Kiwi!"  
Kiwi gave him a big smile and grabbed another present. She hesitated, but then gave it to Vinnie. The white furred mouse ripped off the paper and froze. He looked at the little box in his hands. Two shiny ear studs looked back, both with a small, red diamond in it. Just like his eyes. Throttle and Modo fell silent too. Kiwi suddenly felt the tension rising. What the…  
"What's wrong?", she asked worried, looking at the mice.  
Throttle wanted to say something, but Vinnie was quicker.  
"Nothing, sweetheart. Thanks, they're awesome!", but his voice sounded different. Kiwi didn't let him distract her.  
"Obviously there is something up, the temperature just dropped like fifty degrees."  
Modo looked at her. "Maybe you should check the thermostat then?"  
She stared at him.  
"So to speak, Modo. There is nothing wrong with my thermostat. But there is something wrong with you guys."  
Throttle sighed.  
"Look, my guess this is just one of the differences between Earth and Mars. Let me tell you what this means on Mars. When two mice are getting engaged, they switch studs with each other. Or the male will give a new one to the female…", he trailed off when he saw how red Kiwi's cheeks were. She quickly jumped on her feet.  
"Oh no! That is not what I meant at all! This is just a gift, nothing more…"  
Vinnie also stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders.  
"It's okay, sweetheart. I know it is. Thanks!" and he hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her nose into his fur. He smelled so good… She almost felt disappointed when he let her go and sat down again. God, what was wrong with her…  
"I can't blame ya if you want to marry me, though… Who wouldn't?", Vinnie smiled arrogant her her and winked. Kiwi's head almost exploded now. Throttle quickly grabbed a present from under the tree and gave it to Kiwi.  
"Here! This one is from me."  
Kiwi glared one more time at Vinnie, but decided a gift was more important than his ego. She opened it and smiled. It was her favorite shower gel.  
"Thanks Throttle!"  
She had gave them some money yesterday, because they wanted to buy her some presents. It was Throttle who came to ask her, clearly not at ease. It was cute, really.  
Modo gave her his present. It was a book from her favorite writer.  
"Thanks, big guy! I was waiting for this book to come out, so perfect timing!"  
Vinnie gave her his present with that arrogant, but also charming smile of his. She sighed and braced herself. When she saw what he gave her, she fell silent.  
"Really, Vincent?", Throttle sighed when he saw what it was. "Why would you give her a weapon? You want her to get hurt?"  
Vinnie looked offended.  
"No way! This is for protection! She is involved in our war now, whether we like it or not. And I want her to be able to defend herself."  
Kiwi looked at the gun. It was beautiful. It had the same shape as the laser guns from the mice, but this one was silver. But she… She looked at Vinnie, a little ashamed.  
"But I don't know how to use it…", she whispered. Vinnie waved it away.  
"That's why I'm gonna teach ya. No worries, you're gonna learn it from the best!", he bragged, swinging an arm around her. "We will start tomorrow, sweetheart."  
She kept staring at the gun and she suddenly felt tears filling her eyes. This was so sweet. This was his way to make sure she was safe. Throttle was right. He did care. She quickly recovered herself and looked up to him.  
"Thank you, Vin. Really, it's beautiful."  
Vinnie winked at her.  
"You're welcome."

The next day, Vinnie and Kiwi were standing in the back of the yard. The snow was gone since they had beated Limburger. Throttle and Modo were chilling in the guesthouse, to give Kiwi some space for her shooting practise. Kiwi had noticed Vinnie was wearing his new studs. A warm feeling crept over her. It did look good on him. Just like she had thought. It matched his eyes perfectly.  
"Ready for your first lesson?", Vinnie asked, looking at Kiwi. She nodded, looking at the gun in her hand. Vinnie had found an old table and had set a multiple empty bottles and cans on it. The white furred mouse grabbed his own gun and pointed at a small button on the side.  
"This is the safety pin, when you push on it, it will go off, look…" and he pushed the small button on his own gun. A soft click was heard.  
"Make sure when you're not using the gun, that the safety pin is on. That avoids some nasty accidents…", he explained, unusual serious. Kiwi nodded.  
"Okay, now the gun is ready to use. You don't have to load it or reload it, that's the beauty of this type of gun. You with me so far?"  
"Yeah."  
Vinnie whirled his own gun around his finger and smiled at her.  
"Alrighty then. First step, pose. Face towards the targets, make sure you stand a little wide-legged, like this", and he demonstrated it. Kiwi followed his example. He nodded.  
"Yeah, that's it. Now, hold your back straight and grab your gun with two hands. Later on, when you'll get the hang of it, we will practise with one hand."  
Kiwi did what he said, and raised both arms, aiming the gun at the target. She saw her hands were shaking.  
"Easy sweetheart, we're just practising pose now, focus on that", Vinnie said when he saw the look on her face.  
Kiwi took a deep breath and tried to relax. But that was hard. At first, she was kinda scared to fire a gun. She never had done it before and new things were always scary. Especially when the new thing could be deadly. And second… she was very aware of the close presence of the white furred mouse. She still didn't quite knew what he was doing with her, but it was obvious he caused something.  
"Make sure you're finger is only on the trigger when you are ready to shoot. When you aim, walk with it, grab it, whatever, lay your finger on the trigger guard."  
Kiwi quickly did what he said, since her finger was already on the trigger.  
"Right. When you aim, don't stretch your arms too far. Your body needs to intercept the backlash, and with your body I actually mean your arms. If you stretch your arms too far, it will be your back and shoulders which will suffer, trust me. So, slight bend in the elbows."  
He looked closely at her, to see if she was doing like he said. He nodded satisfied.  
"Good. Now the aiming. Look at your gun", he said, taking the same position again.  
"Look at it and follow the path till the target before you. Always aim a little lower, since the backlash will give your shot a slight deviation. When you think you are ready, you lay your finger on the trigger. Look one more time at your target and push the trigger." He did what he said and the bottle on the left exploded. "See? No big deal, sweetheart."  
Kiwi looked at the bottle at the right, with the gun also still in her eyesight. Slowly, her finger moved to the trigger and after a deep breath, she fired. But if even Vinnie had warned her about the backlash, she wasn't expecting it to be so powerful. Her laser hit the top of the tree that was standing behind the table.  
"Oh my god, that was bad", she sighed. Vinnie shook his head.  
"It was your first time firing a gun. You really believed you could hit the target? No way, even me wasn't that good."  
She glared at him and he smiled his charming smile.  
"Try again."  
She aimed, but her hands were still shaking. She noticed she was scared. Not sure why, but she was. Suddenly, she felt Vinnie behind her. He leaned against her with his body, his arms around her. His hands slowly made their way to her hands.  
"Easy, sweetheart. There is nothing to be afraid of. Let me help you…"  
His voice. That low voice she loved so much. That voice that gave her goosebumps. That voice that helped her completely relax.  
"That's it…" and he helped her aiming at the target. "Now take a deep breath…"  
She did and closed her eyes for a moment. When she let out her breath, she could feel her body completely relax. She opened her eyes again and aimed. Her finger pushed the trigger and the bottle exploded.  
"Yes!", she cheered and Vinnie let her go.  
"Good job, sweetheart!", and he gave her high five. "Still scared?"  
She nodded. "No… Thank you."  
"That's me, Vinnie the fear fighter, not afraid of anything!", he smiled arrogant. Kiwi shook her head.  
"Honestly… Even you must be afraid of something…"  
"Nope, nothing."  
"I don't believe you. Nobody isn't afraid of anything. Everybody has their demons."  
Vinnie fell silent and looked at her. She looked back, warmth in her eyes. She wasn't saying this to tease him. She wanted to get to know him better. She knew he was scared of some things, like hospitals. But he didn't look ready to open up yet. He gave her a dark look.  
"Try again", he said with a cold voice, pointing at the gun in her hands.  
"Vin, I…"  
"Try again!"  
She looked at him. He wasn't mad. He was scared. She could see it in his eyes. He did have his demons. And one of them was opening up. Being vulnerable. And he tried to chase her away. But she wasn't going anywhere. He just needed time.  
She lay a hand on his arm.  
"Whenever you ready, okay? I will always be here for you."  
And before he could react, she returned in the pose he just had taught her and aimed. She fired, but missed.  
"Again."

They practised the whole afternoon. Vinnie had recovered himself after he was sure that Kiwi wasn't gonna ask him tough questions anymore, so they also had a lot of fun. Throttle and Modo joined them to look at her progress and were impressed by how fast Kiwi was picking it up. She could hit the targets without missing a few times now.  
"You're born to do this, Kiwi ma'am", Modo smiled at her when another bottle exploded. She laughed happily.  
Throttle watched her. She had changed so much since the day they had met her. At first, she was cold and distant. But now, she smiled most of the time, she had this glow in her eyes that gave her such a different appearance. She looked 10 years younger. She looked happy. Throttle smiled. She deserved to be happy. And it was great to see how she was flourished in their company. But he couldn't stop asking himself; what was Vinnie's role in her happiness? He still had no clue what was going on between them, by the looks of things they both still didn't knew either. But what was gonna happen if they needed to go back to Mars? What was gonna happen to her if she was gonna lose Vinnie? And what was she to Vinnie? What was gonna happen to him when they were gonna leave this place? He couldn't answer that questions, but he had the nagging feeling he wasn't gonna like the answer when he finally did find it...

* * *

Please review! :)


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter fourteen**

Loud music. Heavy metal. Speakers at full force. The bikes almost shaking because of the heavy bass. A crash through a wall. Three mice cheering loudly. Shrieking brakes when they stopped and turned their bikes.  
"Aha! I just knew if we followed that grease trail it would lead us to Limburgers next scheme!", Throttle laughed, while opening his visor.  
Before them Greasepit and his goons were looking back. Behind them, machines busy with printing something.  
"No wonder he couldn't afford to buy up all of Chicago, he prints his own money!", Modo said when he realised where he was looking at.  
"Weeeeell, then I guess it's time we put a little kink in his cash flow", Vinnie said happily.  
"Let's spread around some of Limburger's cash, huh boys?" and they all fired their laser at the big pile of fresh printed money. It exploded and money rained down on them. The mice grabbed it, Modo and Vinnie singing something about having enough money it takes to whip some tail.  
"Wow, wow, wow hey, would you save the harmonizing for later?", Throttle shook his head with a smile, looking at his bro's that were both having their arms full with money.  
"Well, If you don't like our tune…", Modo said, looking back at Throttle.  
"How about some sweet Georgie Brown?" and Vinnie turned up the volume from his speakers again. "Oh hey! They're playing our song!"  
They revved their bikes and drove straight towards the group of goons. They fired back, but had no chance at all. The mice just rocked their socks off. A few of them landed on big piles of fake money. The mice stopped and Vinnie smiled.  
"Wooow, talk about your golden parachute!"  
"Yeah, they're rolling in it now!", Modo rumbled, while looking at the goons lying between the bills.  
"You know, you boys really should start thinking about a more… honest future", Throttle said, while the mice stepped off their bikes and walked closer to the goons, their guns aimed on them. What they didn't noticed though, was that they were standing close by a press machine and that Greasepit switched the handle to put it on. Their tails got stuck between the lats of the production trail.  
"Auw!", Vinnie yelped, while looking what was holding his precious tail.  
"I would worry more about yous own future, biker babies… Looks like I got yous tails stuck in a mousetrap", Greasepit chuckled.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder, a angry look on his face and his gun aimed at Greasepit.  
"You got tigers by the tail, oilbreath!"  
"Let us go, or…"  
"...you're gonna be a smoking grease stain on the floor!", Throttle finished, but when he wanted to shoot at Greasepit, a laser shot his gun out of his hand. The same happened to Vinnie. They looked back and saw the goons that were lying on the floor had shot the weapons out of their hands and out of their reach.  
Greasepit laughed.  
"What's the matter, biker bunnies? Don't yous wanna see your face on money, along with the rest of ya…", he said with a low voice, pulling another handle. The production trail came into movement again and the mice got dragged with it, straight towards the big press.  
The mice tried to pull their tails loose, but it was no use. It was too painful.  
"Talk about being pressed for cash", Throttle sighed, looking behind him.  
"Ah man, I always wanted to make a million bucks…", Vinnie growled, still pulling his tail.  
"Yeah, but not on a mouse skin!", Modo breathed.  
"We've gotta stop those presses, bro's!" Throttle looked wildly around him, searching for a way to escape this horrible faith. He suddenly saw big drums standing on a plateau, close by the press machine. "Modo, shoot that drum!"  
Modo did what his leader and good friend said. He raised his arm and shot the drum that was standing closest. It fell down, right into the press machine. Because of the pressure, the drum exploded and the ink that was inside of it, splattered around.  
Greasepit got the full hit and when he fell down his hand, that was still holding the handle, pushed it down. The machine stopped and the mice could finally release their tails.  
Vinnie quickly grabbed his tail and rubbed the tip.  
"Sometimes this job just ain't fun", he pouted. But no time for whining. The goons opened fire on them.  
"Let's grab them, bro's", Throttle ordered. Modo raised his armcannon again and shot at barrels filled with, apparently, flammable liquid. It gave a huge explosion and most of the goons ran away.  
"Didn't your momma's never tell you not to play with fire?", Modo smiled, but didn't wait for a answer. The whole building was about to explode and the mice quickly jumped on their bikes and fled the scene. Right on time, because when they were outside, the whole building exploded.  
"Wow! Talk about your money going up in smoke!", Modo laughed.  
"Looks like the big cheese just got financially burned", Vinnie smiled.  
"Yeah, that outta stop him from buying up the planet for a while", Throttle agreed.  
"Hey, bro's! We got a fire over here that requires a bit of our attention!", Modo intervened, pointing at the building. Luckily, out of safety measures, a big water tank was standing on the building. The mice shot it and the water extinguished the fire.  
"Let's ride, bro's!" and they drove away. Vinnie put on the radio again.  
"Oh, hey! Metallica! My favorite heavy metal music makers!"  
"Yeah, now that's music to whip tail by!", Throttle agreed.  
"Yeah, Plutarkian tail! Geez, I wonder if Limburger's gonna be mad at us", Modo smiled, grabbing a burning dollar biljet out of the sky.

They picked up Kiwi at home for a drive to the lake, to celebrate this victory. Even it was too cold to swim, they could build a small fire and roast hotdogs. But the mice were still hyped up from their victory and that always came with loud music. Kiwi was sitting behind Vinnie, holding him tightly. Luckily, her helmet muted the music a little, but it was still loud.  
"HAHA, we've nailed the big cheese good today!", Modo yelled over the music.  
"Yep, let's go celebrate, mouse style!", Throttle yelled back.  
"Aaaooww, hotdogs…", Vinnie started.  
"...and heavy metal!"  
"Rootbeer…"  
"...and ROCK AND ROLL!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Oh man, it just isn't gonna get better than this!", Throttle sighed, feeling very satisfied.  
Vinnie howled and hit the accelerator. Kiwi's eyes grew big when she saw he was speeding straight towards a car. She tightened her grip. Vinnie used the car as a ramp and they flew into the air. He fired his jets and made two somersaults.  
"AAOOOW!"  
"AAAAAAAAHHHH", Kiwi screamed at the same time. She flew off his bike, but before something could happen, Vinnie's tail wrapped around her waist and he pulled her back on his bike. When he landed, not that smooth, she slammed with her head against his back.  
"VINCENT VAN WHAM! DO YOU HAVE A DEATHWISH!?", she screamed furious.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder, still a smile on his face. That stupid, arrogant smile of his. But also so charming… Kiwi shook her head and punched him on the back.  
"Sorry, doll. Maybe I slightly forgot that you were sitting behind me…", he snickered.  
Kiwi tried to calm down. She wasn't scared of riding a bike anymore, but these kinda stunts still took her breath away.  
"Just… warn me next time, okay?", she yelled, still agitated.  
"Sure thing, sweetheart."  
They drove further, Kiwi still a little bit upset. But she felt her lips wanted to curl into a smile. She fighted to stop it. What if that loudmouth would see it? Then she never was safe on his bike again. But she just couldn't stop it. Her lower lip started to tremble and she burst out in laughter. Vinnie looked over his shoulder again, a surprised look on his face.  
"Sweetheart, you okay?", he asked with confusion in his voice.  
But Kiwi couldn't stop laughing. Throttle and Modo also looked at her, clearly loss at what was wrong with her.  
"She lost it. She finally lost it. It's official, bro's. Living with us can drive someone mad", Throttle snickered.  
Kiwi held up hear hand and tried to say something, but she couldn't. The mice had never heard her laugh this hard. It was contagious, really. They soon laughed with her, even if they still had no idea why she was laughing so hard.  
Kiwi slowly calmed down a little.  
"Okay, I'm calm again… I'm calm... ", she breathed, tears in her eyes, but still with a big grin.  
Vinnie squeezed his tail that was still wrapped around her waist.  
"Care to tell us what's so funny, doll?"  
"I just… I dunno. Sometimes I realize how my life looks like now, that I'm riding on a bike with three big alien mice, who are fighting a war with a big, walking and talking fish… and then you do stunts like that and I just… It's ridiculous, okay? My life has never been this ridiculous, but I also never felt more happy. Does this even make any sense?"  
"Yeah, I guess…", Vinnie said slowly, his brains working overtime to understand the complicated mind of the woman that was sitting behind him.  
"Anyway… How long have you guys been in heavy metal?", Kiwi asked, to change the subject.  
"Always have been. And always will be", Vinnie quickly answered.  
"Except for that one time…", Throttle suddenly remembered.  
"Yeah… some lousy creep almost spoiled it for us…", Modo joined him, also remembering. How could he forget?  
Kiwi looked curious at Throttle.  
"His name was Hard Rock. Oh man, that rocker had one bad attitude. He tore up a lot of territory on Mars during the Plutarkian war. Hurt a lot of innocent folks. We always swore, if we ever meet him again, oh man, we will strip the strings of his guitar…"  
"For keeps…", Vinnie said with a dangerously low voice.  
The threat that was hidden in it, gave Kiwi goosebumps. She knew the mice were the good guys. They were fighting this war, trying to keep as many innocent people safe, trying to avoid they need to kill someone… But she never heard them talking this angry, this hateful about someone. This Hard Rock guy probably should be happy he was an another planet right now.

Suddenly, a purple car flew out of a side street right before them.  
"What the...", Vinnie breathed, hitting the brakes immediately, just like his bro's. So did the car, but a crash was unavoidable. The bikes slammed against the side of the car and the mice and Kiwi flew off. They crashed into a wall of an alley and fell down on the ground. Vinnie immediately pushed himself up and crawled to Kiwi.  
"Sweetheart, are you alright?", he asked, panic in his voice. He knew his bro's could take a beating, but Kiwi was way more fragile.  
Kiwi slowly lifted her head and after a quick examination, she nodded. But before anyone could say anything more, a shadow fell over them. They all looked up and the mouths of the mice fell open. Kiwi just stared at the guy. A guy with a green skin, punky orange hair, a long purple, leather jacket… this guy was obvious not from around here. And with here she meant Earth. He grabbed her arm and dragged her with him. Kiwi, still dazed from the hit, didn't had the strength to struggle.  
"No… it can't be…", Modo breathed.  
"It's Hard Rock!", Throttle called out.  
"And he's got Kiwi", Vinnie growled. A rare feeling of hatred flooded through his veins suddenly.  
Nobody. Touched. Kiwi.  
He jumped at his feet, but before he could do something, they were surrounded by Limburger's goons.  
"Yeah… and we got trouble…", Modo said slowly.  
"Modo, get Kiwi! Vinnie and I will handle this newcomers", and he whistled for his bike.  
Modo ran away and Vinnie looked at Throttle, not sure why he'd send Modo to rescue Kiwi. But no time to argue now. He tried to ignore his anger and also whistled. Their bikes, damaged but still able to ride, drove towards them. Before the goons could stop them, Throttle and Vinnie jumped on their bikes and drove away. The goons followed them, firing at them. Throttle and Vinnie jumped in the air and while they were up, they turned their bikes and landed backwards. They hit the accelerator and drove straight towards the goons. Since the bikes were already damaged, they jumped off and wrapped their tails around a streetlight. The bikes crashed against the buggies and the goons flew out. Vinnie and Throttle, still hanging on the streetlight, smiled at each other.

Meanwhile, Modo was trying to grab Kiwi. She was standing next to Hard Rock, shivering like a child. Modo raised his arm cannon, but suddenly goons showed up behind him. Hard Rock grabbed his guitar and aimed at Modo. Modo's eyes grew big and he quickly ran away. The laser that came out of Hard Rock's guitar followed him, making some sort of pit in the asphalt. The buggies crashed into it and Hard Rock stopped his fire. Modo was lying on the floor, just an inch away from the chaos, breathing heavily. He quickly jumped on his feet again and his bro's joined him. Vinnie threw a flair into the pit and the buggies exploded. Hard Rock grabbed Kiwi and dragged her with him again. But when the smoke slowly faded, Kiwi could see the mice standing close by, without their helmets. And she had never seen them this angry. But she couldn't blame them. Jesus, they were just telling her about this guy and suddenly, he popped up. What are the odds of that? And this guy had a big part in destroying their home. They had every right to be mad.  
Vinnie was about to attack Hard Rock, but Throttle stopped him.  
"I'll handle this, Vin. Just give me back up, okay?"  
"No way. He has Kiwi. He destroyed half of our planet…", Vinnie growled, his tail lashing.  
Throttle lay a hand on the shoulder of his younger bro.  
"Easy Vin. I said, I will handle this. Stay here", but when Vinnie opened his mouth again, he gave him a warning look.  
"Vincent, enough. Stand down. I will handle this."  
Vinnie heard the low voice of his leader and he knew he had no other choice than to obey. But man, he was angry.  
Throttle looked at him one more time before he turned around. He did a few steps forward, his gun in his hand.  
"Alright, Hard Rock. It's just you and me now. One on one. So let the lady go…"  
Kiwi felt a shiver crawling through her spine by hearing his voice. She looked at Hard Rock, but he didn't looked impressed. He looked kinda… sad actually. She frowned in confusion. Her frown got deeper when he let her go without a fight. She quickly ran away, straight to Vinnie. He catched her in his arms and held her tightly, while looking at Throttle and Hard Rock with his chin resting on her heard. What was going on here…  
Hard Rock did a few steps forward and the mice tensed. But he took off his guitar and set it against the wall.  
"There. Happy now? Or should I raise me hands too?" and he did what he asked.  
Throttle was studying his face, not sure what to think of this.  
"What are you up to?"  
"Yeah… We were gonna watch him take you down… Or I would…", Vinnie growled, still angry and still with a very upset Kiwi in his arms.  
"Yeah, no fun if you surrender…", Modo said, his voice low, his eye glowing red.  
Hard Rock smiled and put down his hands.  
"You know, I get the impression you folks don't like me…"  
"Don't like you? DON'T LIKE YOU? What did you expect, you fucking moron, a welcome reception? Well, I will give you one you will nev…" Vinnie started, but Modo stopped him.  
"You destroyed half our planet…", Throttle said, pointing his gun at Hard Rock.  
"Don't you remember us?", Modo asked.  
Hard Rock shrugged.  
"I've destroyed a lot of places. To many to remember. But that was then. This is now. That's not my gig anymore…"  
"What are you saying? You gone straight?", Throttle asked, disbelief written on his face.  
"That's right. You see, I met this wonderful girl. Darla her name is. She changed me. For her sake, I'm no evil no more... "  
Throttle rubbed his chin, but Vinnie was still very angry.  
"Come on! What a load of bullshit! At least have the balls to be honest and fight like a man against a mouse, instead of just standing there, telling fairy tales!"  
Kiwi, who was now standing next to him, lay a hand on his arm. Vinnie looked at her, but she was studying Hard Rock's face.  
"I don't know... ", Modo said slowly, also looking closely at Hard Rock.  
"Yeah… Limburger didn't believe it either. He brought me here, told me to destroy you. I pretended I would, but I was actually coming to warn you of his plans!", Hard Rock said, pointing his finger at Vinnie, who glared back, teeth gritted.  
"Now just a minute!", Throttle quickly intervened. "You crashed into us!"  
"A accident. I apologize…"  
"You grabbed Kiwi…", Vinnie growled angrily, his tail lashing. The only reason he didn't attack the guy was because of Kiwi's hand that was still lying on his arm.  
"I was trying to get her to safety."  
"And you shot at me…", Modo said, hands on his hips.  
"I had to make you move faster, otherwise those four wheelers would've landed on you."  
"You had Limburger's goons with ya…", Throttle added.  
"I didn't know. Limburger must have them follow me…"  
"Well, that's an interesting story, Hard Rock. But there's just one little problem…", Throttle said slowly.  
Kiwi felt Vinnie tens, she saw Modo was about to raise his armcannon.  
"I don't buy it!", Throttle spit out and raised his gun.  
"Yeah, why should we believe you?", Modo asked, raising his armcannon. Vinnie was also aiming his gun, his finger already on the trigger. But Kiwi stopped them all, with only a few words.  
"He's telling the truth."  
Everybody looked at her, shock on their faces.  
"What are you talking about, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, completely mind blown.  
"I can tell. I can see it in his eyes. Let's just say, I'm good at reading people. And I can assure you, he's telling the truth."  
Vinnie looked her in the eye and she looked back, determination on her face. Then, she looked at Throttle.  
"Sometimes people do change. I'm not saying you need to forgive him for what he did to your planet, but right now, he is no danger to all of us."  
Hard Rock nodded at her. She narrowed her eyes, but nodded back.  
Vinnie looked at Hard Rock, but the hatred was gone. He still didn't like the guy, but… If Kiwi was right, if he was indeed telling the truth... That meant he had tried to protect Kiwi. That gave him at least one point or so…  
Throttle sighed. He lowered his gun. Modo did the same.  
"Alright. Let's give you the benefit of the doubt. But that doesn't mean I trust you now. I trust Kiwi. And I trust her judgement. But I still want you gone…"  
"Believe me, I do too… Darla must be worried sick about me. I need to get back to her."  
Vinnie nodded.  
"Fine. We want you off our planet, you want to get back to Darla. Same goal, different reasons."  
Throttle looked at Vinnie, knowing what his younger bro was applying.  
"Fine. We will help you get to Limburger's transporter. Let's get this over with", and he grabbed his bike.  
Hard Rock looked at Kiwi.  
"Can I offer you a ride?", but Vinnie intervened.  
"Uh uh. No way. She already got her ride. Hop on, sweetheart. Let's get you home first."  
Kiwi did what he said. No need to provoke him. He finally had calmed down again. She had only see him this angry once. That day, when he saved her from being street pizza. For some reason, she only saw him angry when it was about her safety. She smiled. Crazy macho mouse.

When she stepped off Vinnie's bike by her house, Vinnie pointed his finger at Hard Rock.  
"Listen pal, the only reason we're going along with this, is as bad as you were… Limburger's worse."  
"Yeah, and that will give you a running head start, but that's all. We still want you gone", Modo added.  
"Right. Did we make ourselves clear?", Throttle asked with a low voice.  
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Can't blame ya. Let's go."  
Kiwi grabbed Vinnie's arm.  
"Stay safe, okay? All of you", and she looked at Throttle and Modo too.  
They nodded. Vinnie raised his hand and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.  
"For you, always…", he whispered.  
Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment because of his gentle touch, but soon, they both realized what was happening. Vinnie pulled back his hand like she was on fire. At the same time, Kiwi stepped back like she just got stung by a bee. Both were blushing. Vinnie revved his bike and sped away. Hard Rock followed him, and Modo and Throttle too.  
"I think our younger bro is falling in love", Modo said softly to Throttle.  
"I think you're right, big fella… Not sure if he's aware of it himself… Nor if he's ever gonna admit it…"  
Modo sighed. He knew the tan furred mouse was right. When it came to feelings and emotions, Vinnie was a very complicated mouse. Well… time will tell.

The mice and Hard Rock crashed through the doors from Karbunkle's lab. They saw Limburger and that hideous doctor himself standing in front of a screen. On the screen, the images of a train. What was that stinkface up to?  
"Alright, freeze, fish soup!", Throttle ordered while they stopped in front of Limburger. Cannons popped out of the bikes.  
"We just need to borrow your transporter for a minute", Modo told the ugly fish.  
"Seems your friend here wants to go home", Throttle said, a little childish. He just couldn't help himself. The guy had destroyed half their planet. He had every reason to hate him. Which made it even more annoying to help him. But it was the right thing to do right now. "We're here to make sure you'll give him a nice, safe ride... ", he added with reluctance.  
But Limburger didn't look surprised. Nor did he looked scared. No, he started laughing.  
"Ooohh, I do apologize, my dear Biker Mice. But I fear that's not possible…"  
The mice looked at each other. Say what?  
"Ahum… excuse me?", Vinnie asked, leaning forward on his bike.  
"Let me point out something you maybe didn't realize, fish face. You see, we are holding all the cards here. I mean, we've got the numbers…", Throttle chuckled.  
"We've got the guts…", Vinnie growled.  
"And we've got the guns…", Modo finished, while raising his armcannon.  
"So basically… You just better back off!", Throttle said, stepping off his bike and walking closer to Limburger. Who still had that annoying smile on his face. Was he really giggling right now? Throttle narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. What was he up to?  
"True… All true. But you see, I have the ace in the hold…" and Limburger snapped his fingers. Karbunkle pushed a button and a door opened. In the room, there was a girl hanging on the ceiling, right above a kettle with some simmering liquid in it. Knowing Limburger, it was something that kill would you slowly and painfully.  
"You see, I have invited Darling Darla as an… incentive, are we say?"  
Hard Rock gasped and clenched his fists. The mice stared at the blue skinned girl.  
"That's Darla?", Vinnie asked. "If you don't mind me asking, but what's so special about her?"  
Hard Rock's face softened.  
"Ha. You'll be surprised…", he said, staring at the girl he loved.  
Vinnie looked at him for a moment. Okaaaay…  
"Look, what is it you want, you stinking Plutarkian?", Hard Rock asked, almost in despair.  
"Simply… your surrender… Or this frantic young female will die because of your stubbornness.."  
The mice looked at each other and Throttle nodded at his bro's. They had no choice. The girl was innocent. She maybe had a terrible taste for men, but that wasn't a crime. So, they raised their hands. Hard Rock did the same. Limburger laughed evilly. Vinnie rolled his eyes. Honestly… Goons grabbed the mice and tied them up alongside Darla. Now they were all hanging on the ceiling.  
Limburger looked at Hard Rock.  
"And now, my dear boy, you are gonna rob that train for me…" and he pointed at the screen.  
"NO!" and Hard Rock grabbed him by the purple suit. "I told you, mate, I won't be a villain anymore!"  
Limburger grabbed his arm. "Ahhh… But you forget you no longer have a choice. The lives of your new found compedrians, not to mention that sweet girl of yours, depends on your cooperation."  
Darla looked pleading at her partner. Hard Rock looked back and then to Limburger.  
"And if I'll do it? What then?"  
"They will not be harmed. You have my word as a… gentleman…", and Limburger smiled at him.  
Hard Rock made a decision. Not that he had indeed much of a choice. He grabbed his guitar.  
"They better not be. Darla, I'm sorry! But everytime I try to get out, they pull me back." And he jumped in his car. Darla was shaking her head, but since she was gagged, she couldn't say a word. Hard Rock started his car and jumped out of the window, followed by Limburger's goons.

"What shall we do with these prisoners?", Karbunkle asked. Limburger looked at them, with a cold look on his face.  
"Dispose of them. Slowly… Painfully…"  
Throttle shook his head and got rid of his gag.  
"WHAT? Why you lousy, corrupted cheddar, you gave your word!" he yelled furious.  
Limburger laughed.  
"Well, if my word was worth anything, I wouldn't be much of a villain, now would I? Taataaaa!" and he walked away.  
Karbunkle cackled manically and walked to the controls. He grabbed a handle and put it down. The mice and Darla slowly lowered, coming closer to the kettle.  
"Vincent, you're always carrying a bottle opener with you. Please tell me you do today", Throttle whispered.  
Vinnie nodded.  
"Yeah, it's in my pocket", and Throttle's tail found his way into Vinnie's pocket.  
"Yes!", and the tan furred mouse used the object to open the lock of the chains that was wrapped around Modo's arm. It clicked open and Modo immediately shot at the controls. Karbunkle quickly dove away, to avoid he got hit.  
The crane that was holding the rope, turned, making the mice and Darla hanging above the ground now. Modo shot the ropes and they landed on their feet.  
"We're back!", Throttle yelled.  
"We're bad!", Vinnie growled, rubbing his arms.  
"We're mice...", Modo rumbled.  
"... and we're mad!", Throttle finished.  
Darla stared at them.  
"Please… We have to help me Boo-Boo…", she said with a high voice.  
This time the mice stared at her.  
"Boo-Boo?", they asked in unison and looked at each other.  
"Hard Rock's first name is… Boo-Boo?", Vinnie asked and he burst out in laughter. Modo and Throttle quickly followed.  
Darla looked offended.  
"Well, I think it's a wonderful name!"  
"Yeah well, sister, you must be in love", Throttle chuckled, shaking his head.  
Vinnie swung an arm around Darla and pulled her closer.  
"So, I guess we better get the two of you back together", he smiled at her.

The mice blasted their way into the train. Right on time. Hard Rock was standing in front of two goons, one of them was holding a guard from the train.  
"Yeeaaaahhh! Great timing, or what?", Vinnie cheered when they stopped their bikes.  
Darla jumped off Throttle's bike and ran over to her lover. He pulled her in his arms, very relieved to see her in one piece. He looked at the mice.  
"You chaps are the greatest! How can I thank you for saving me lady?"  
But before the mice could answer, one of the goons interrupted.  
"Haven't you heroes forgotten something?"  
They all looked at the two goons, one of them still with the guard in his arms and holding a gun against the poor guy's head.  
"Drop your weapons, or this guard is a gutter. Limburger said us to get this gold", he gestured to the big piles of gold behind him. "...and we're gonna get it."  
The mice dropped their weapons and raised their hands, just like Hard Rock.  
But Darla looked at Hard Rock and he nodded back at her.  
"They deserve it, Darla."  
Darla raised her hands and she shot colorful lights at them. The guards flew out of the train, screaming loud.  
Vinnie popped his head out of the hole.  
"You know. I'm starting to understand what you see in her…"  
"Vincent! Express run to Limburger tower!", Throttle ordered.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder and smiled.  
"The Midnight Special, coming through!"  
Vinnie pulled himself up and climbed on the roof of the train.  
" _Well if you're ever in Chicago"_ , he started to sing while running to the front. And it wasn't even that off key this time.  
Throttle and Modo revved their bikes and jumped out of the train, followed by Vinnie's bike.  
" _Oeeeeeehhh Limburger, you better do right…"_ , Throttle sang.  
" _You better not steeeaaaal..._ ", Modo joined in.  
" _...and you better not fight!"_ , Hard Rock sang with a low voice, holding his precious Darla, still in the train.  
" _Oooohh, Hard Rock will grab youuuu"_ , and Vinnie climbed from the roof through the window into the cockpit and he pulled down a handle.  
The train turned right and left the rails _(A/N; I know, it's super weird, but I didn't want to change this part, it's too awesome)_ and followed Throttle and Modo.  
" _And the Biker Mice will bring you doooown!",_ Throttle sang, looking behind him.  
" _And the next thing you know, cheeseface...",_ Modo's deep voice rumbled.  
" _You're prison bound!"_ , Hard Rock joined Modo and Throttle in his car.  
" _Aahh yeaahh! Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me…",_ they sang in unison, Vinnie still in the cockpit. They drove straight towards LP.

When they were close, Vinnie jumped out the cockpit on his bike. They hit the brakes and watched how the train drove straight into Limburger tower. The tower crumbled into dust again, Limburger cries loudly heard above the noise. The mice high fived and drove back home.  
When they arrived, Kiwi was already waiting on them. She was sitting by the fence, reading a book. When she heard the engines, she jumped up.  
"Hey guys! Victory again?", she smiled, but then she saw Darla.  
"Oh hey, you must be Darla! I'm Kiwi", and she offered her hand. Darla shook it.  
"Nice to meet you", she said with that high, almost childish voice of hers.  
Kiwi nodded and tried not to study her to obvious, but she just couldn't help herself being curious. This girl had not only accomplished to make a man who's fighting a war hers, she also had put him on the right path. That was something she only could admire.  
"I can't thank you Biker Mice enough. You know, you're more than brave and heroic, you're rather forgiving folks too…", Hard Rock said, while the mice and Kiwi were standing by his car.  
Darla nodded and smiled.  
"Yeah! Boo-Boo and I will never forget you!"  
Kiwi shared a quick look with Vinnie when she heard the name and her lips curled into a smile. Vinnie smiled back. Kiwi quickly looked away, otherwise she was afraid she couldn't control her laughing.  
"Well, it's better to make a new friend than beat an old enemy", Modo chuckled, also having a hard time to be serious about the name.  
"Even when this friends name is Boo-Boo…", Vinnie whispered, but then burst out laughing again. Modo joined him. Kiwi couldn't hold herself any longer and started laughing too.  
Darla looked a little annoyed, but Hard Rock smiled.  
"Ah, never mind them, love. They're good chaps. Let's just go home, alright?"  
"But how will you guys get there? You trashed Karbunkle's transporter…", Kiwi asked, trying to keep her face in check, but that was hard with Modo and Vinnie still laughing softly.  
"Well, we thought we take the scenic route back", Darla answered.  
That took the mice their attention.  
"Say what?"  
"That's right!", and Darla raised her hands. The whole car got surrounded by light and it slowly rose into the air. "Tata, folks!" and they flew away.  
The mice were waving, a little dazed. Vinnie rubbed his chin.  
"I wonder if she has a sister…"  
Kiwi, who was standing next to him, turned around so quick, she almost fell over. She hit him on his arm, hard.  
Vinnie looked startled.  
"Sweetheart… What gives?", he asked confused.  
"Ugh, men…" and she wanted to walk away, but Vinnie grabbed her.  
"It was a joke, sweetheart. A joke."  
Kiwi looked in his eyes and quickly made herself loose.  
"I know, Vin. Let's eat guys!"  
That was the best way to distract them, she knew. And it worked. They grabbed the bikes and drove to the house, Kiwi walking behind them with a little smile on her face. She just couldn't help herself. She couldn't stay mad at Vinnie. The only person who she should be mad at, was herself.  
Her smile slowly fade. She needed to stop this behaviour. She needed to stop being this obvious about how she was feeling. He was gonna laugh at her. He was gonna brag about how charming and sexy he was. Maybe he was gonna use her. Or use it against her. No matter what his reaction would be, one thing Kiwi knew for sure. It was important that he never was gonna find out that she, who never let anybody in, finally knew what he was doing to her. She finally knew what it meant...  
And that was that she was madly and deeply in love with him.

* * *

I'm sorry, Youkai55... I know you wanted Kiwi to be with someone else, but honestly? I can't help myself. It has two reasons actually;  
One: Vinnie is my favorite character.  
Two: I can relate to Vinnie. I understand his way of thinking, or well, the way I make him think, perhaps. And Kiwi... she's the same. They're understanding each other. I really tried to let her fall in love with the one you wanted to, but I just couldn't write it. It gave me a huge writers block. So, I just let my imagination, my own emotions and feelings do the work and this is the outcome. Hope you stay with me, if not, no hard feelings of course. I just wanted to explain, so you know I really tried.

But the story isn't just about Kiwi and Vinnie only. There will be enough other drama, action and humor. Maybe some history about Mars. Why they speak English, for example. My fantasy and imagination, combined with the official storyline, since I have all the episodes on my computer :)

Please review!

Later! :)


	16. Chapter 15

You guys, thank you so much for the reviews!  
To answer some of your questions or comments:  
 **Youkai55** : You're absoluty right. Sometimes it's tempting to think you guys have seen the all episodes, so you know how, in this case Darla, looks like. Plus, sometimes I'm so caught up with everything that still is about to happen, I may be a little sloppy sometimes.  
I will try to pay attention to it. Thanks!

 **L. Villarrea** l: Glad to hear you think they're cute together! I've been busy for years to collect all the episodes, and yes, all of them are in English. Keep an eye on youtube, sometimes they pop up there. But be quick, because most of the time they got deleted pretty fast, something about the rights and stuff.

 **wolftattoo** : The girl with the blue eyes is Kiwi. Throttle was thinking about her because he was curious about her story, not because he's in love with her. Bit by bit, they find out. I've already revealed that Kiwi's parents got killed in a bike accident. After that, Kiwi got into a heavy depression. She doesn't work or go to school at the moment, because when the mice arrived, she was too sick to do so. And her parents were rich, so she has enough money, since she has inherited everything. Later on, there will be more details about the past. Both about Kiwi and about the mice.

On with the next chapter, a bit longer than usual. :)

* * *

 **Chapter fifteen**

It was a cold and rainy day. Since the mice hated it to be outside in the rain, they were busy in the garage with tuning their bikes. Kiwi was sitting at the desk, reading a book. She sighed happily and switched a page. It was such a nice and peaceful day. Suddenly…  
"AUTSJ!"  
Kiwi almost threw her book in the air because of the sudden scream. She looked at the source of the noise in the form of a white furred Martian Mouse. By the looks of things, he had cut himself while he was placing something back on his bike. She wanted to help him, but he suddenly let out a stream of words she didn't recognize. Well, given the reaction of Modo, it probably was a good thing too.  
"VINCENT! That is not how you talk in front of a lady!", the grey furred giant yelled at him.  
Vinnie looked at him with a outraged look on his face.  
"Really? I cut myself and instead of.. I don't know, asking me if I'm okay, you're yelling at me because I said some things that she doesn't even understand?", he snorted in disbelief.  
Throttle quickly intervened.  
"Vinnie, go clean that wound. Modo, help him. You know you're the only one who can right now."  
Vinnie wanted to protest, but Modo grabbed him and dragged him with him. Kiwi looked at Throttle, a slightly amused look on her face.  
"What language was it anyway?", she asked, sitting down again. Throttle sat down next to her.  
"Martian."  
"You guys have your own language?", she asked, somehow surprised. But then again, it's actually way more surprising that they could speak English.  
"Yeah, well… It's an very old language. And hard to learn. Me and my bro's are the last generation who's learned it at school. You know, before the war started and we still had schools." He sighed and stared at his hands, clearly sucked back in time.  
"Then how is it possible you guys speak English so well?", Kiwi asked, a little hesitated, not knowing if she needed to leave him with his thoughts or not.  
But Throttle looked back at her.  
"Well, the answer to that question requires a little history lesson. A very long time ago, some professor on Mars found out about Earth. His name was Professor Milestone. Back then, the mice population were way ahead in technologie than Earth, we still are, actually… But this professor, he traveled to Earth to studie you humans. Some said he was obsessed. Maybe he was. Anyway, he found out that people on Earth spoke many languages, but English was the most common. In his eagerness to learn everything about you, he learned the language from a friend who he had made on Earth. Someone who he could trust. Someone who wanted to learn just as much about Martian Cave Mice as the professor wanted to learn about the humans. Anyway, long story short; English slowly became the new spoken language on Mars. It's way more easier to learn than Martian, since that language is ancient and has a lot of difficult sounds. The professor wanted to make sure that we could communicate with people on Earth, that we were able to continue his investigation if he died. Nobody did though, because they weren't that interested in Earth as him, but everybody agreed that English was a better language to learn than Martian. So, I guess that's his legacy."  
Kiwi was impressed with this story. All this time, they knew about Earth and about humans. And the people on Earth still hadn't found out about the things that were going on on Mars.  
"Wauw, that's a very interesting story. Really, it's so weird you guys already know so much about Earth and we're still in the dark about everything that is happening in the galaxy. We don't even know the planet Plutark…"  
Throttle chuckled.  
"That's because, no offense, humans aren't that smart, present company excluded. And we know how to keep a low profile."  
Kiwi smiled. He was right. Since she knew the mice, she already had figured out humanity still had so much to learn. Not only about technologie, but also about being forgiving. Being there for your people. Family. Love.  
"How was it like? Mars? Before the war?", she asked.  
Throttle thought about it and then smiled.  
"It was great. Mars used to be a green planet. Of course, there was more sand and dessert than forests, but…", he trailed off, suddenly looking very sad.  
Kiwi gently took his hand.  
"I'm sorry, Throttle. I didn't mean to make you sad… We can talk about something else, if you want?"  
But Throttle shook his head.  
"It's not the fact that you ask that makes me sad. It's the fact I hardly can remember how it looked like… I try to remember, but all I see is the destruction… the karkas of something that once was a beautiful planet... "  
Kiwi didn't know what to say.  
"I'm so sorry… that this happened to you. To your home. I can't imagine what it must feel like…"  
He suddenly looked at her and grabbed her hands tightly.  
"We will make sure you'll never know. We'll defeat Limburger, one day. We'll make sure that he's not gonna ruin this planet like he did to our home. No more."  
Kiwi felt tears in her eyes.  
"You mice are always acting so macho, but really, you are such sweet guys… Fighting for a planet that isn't your home…"  
"It is our home now. And it always will be. Thanks to you."  
Kiwi rubbed his cheek.  
"Thanks. For being here. For us. For Earth. For… me…" she trailed off.  
"Family, remember?", Throttle whispered.  
She nodded.  
"Yeah… You said you had no family left. Is there anyone else waiting for you? You know… a girl?"  
She felt him tense. Oh shit. She must have hit a nerve.  
"If I'm asking too much, you need to tell me, I…"  
"No, it's okay. But like I've said before, nobody's waiting. Not anymore…"  
"Is she…", Kiwi asked, but she didn't couldn't say the word. Dead.  
"No. She's not dead. She's the general of the Freedom Fighters now. We're just… not together anymore…" He took a deep breath and smiled a little sad at her. Poor Throttle.  
"I'm sorry to hear… what happened between you?"  
"War happened. We're all devoted to save Mars, but she… well, it drove a wedge between us. War changes you. In a bad way."  
"Did it change you in a bad way?"  
He needed to think about that question.  
"I don't know, actually… I try to stay close to myself. But I did some things I'm not proud of. But I try to learn from my mistakes."  
"What's her name?", she asked, but Throttle shook his head.  
Okay. Too far. Next question.  
"What about Modo? Does he have someone waiting for him?"  
"No. She died. And this is not my story to tell."  
"I know… God, poor Modo. I just don't understand how you guys have the strength to go on with your lives. To laugh. To make fun. To fight…"  
"It's all we have. We need to make sure the ones we've lost, didn't die in vain. Giving up is just not an option…"  
"And ehm… Vinnie? Does he…" Kiwi trailed off again. She felt her cheeks turning red.  
Throttle studied her face. He looked her in the eye. And he saw it. He finally had figured out what was going on between these two. First Vinnie, now her…  
"No. There was someone, a long time ago… But again, not my story to tell…"  
Kiw felt surprised. And Throttle saw it. Of course. There weren't that many things the tan furred mouse didn't notice.  
"I know what you're thinking and I can't blame ya. But despite his flirting, he doesn't fall in love that easily. He just loves the attention."  
Kiwi nodded, not showing how his words cut right into her soul. She was right all along. Another reason to never tell him how she was feeling.  
Throttle saw her reaction, despite the fact she tried to hide it. It made him feel bad, but it wasn't his place to tell her that Vinnie was feeling the same way about her. No, this was something they needed to figure out by themselves.

"Why is Modo the only one who can help him?"  
Throttle looked at questionably, confused because of this sudden change of subject.  
"You just said; you're the only one who can help him right now."  
"Ah. Well, you know how he reacts on doktors. Modo is the only one he trusts enough to help him when he's wounded."  
"Ah, okay… You really don't know what happened to him?"  
"Ask him. Maybe he'll tell you."  
Kiwi looked up surprised. Why would Vinnie tell her and not his bro's? What… Throttle grabbed her hands.  
"Listen, the war affected us all. We all are damaged, somehow. But Vinnie… Well, he handles things differently. He is a very complicated mouse. But you already figured that one out, I guess…"  
"Yeah... " Kiwi was biting her lower lip. She felt the words burning on her tongue, but something stopped her from saying it out loud. Maybe that would make it real. She had vowed to herself that nobody may know. But she could trust Throttle…  
"Throttle…", she looked at him, her eyes almost pleading.  
Throttle gave her that smile. That smile that said; 'I know. And it's okay.' That's why she loved to talk to him. He never judged. He understood.  
"Sshh.. I know, Kiwi. I know", and he took her in his arms. She held him, and suddenly the words did find their way.  
"I think I'm in love with him…"  
Throttle let out his breath. After a long silence, he cleared his throat.  
"Carbine… Her name is Carbine…"

When Modo and Vinnie came back into the garage, Throttle and Kiwi were doing their own thing, as if the conversation never had taken place. Kiwi looked up from her book.  
"You okay, Vinnie?", she asked, a little worried. But Vinnie waved it away.  
"Yeah, just a scratch, no biggie. It takes a lot more to take the Vinman down, sweetheart."  
She saw the small piece of bandage around his finger. She nodded and rolled her eyes at the same time. It was so tempting to make a joke about his fear for medical help, but she didn't. That would be too harsh.  
She looked at Modo. Now she knew he'd lost another loved one, next to his parents, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. She was curious about the story, but now wasn't the time.  
She turned her attention back on her book, but she couldn't concentrate. The only thing she could think of, was the mice. About their lives. The war. The damage. The losses. Vinnie. There was so much she wanted to know. There was so much she wanted to ask him. But she was scared. Scared that she would chase him away with her questions. Truth to be told, she needed him. He knew exactly how to make her calm. He knew how to make her laugh. He knew how to help her. And the weirdest thing was; he probably didn't knew all this. He probably wasn't aware of it. But that was the thing… They looked a lot like each other. Both damaged and both sucked at talking about their feelings… It would never work. So, she decided to keep some sorta distance. Not too far away, but certainly not too close.

After days with rain and wind, today was finally a good day. The sun was shining and no cloud in the sky. It was still cold, but hey, at least it stopped raining.  
"Bro's, I really need to blow something up. And I mean like, right now", Vinnie complained and jumped on his bike. "Let's check how that stinkface is doing. Please?"  
Throttle chuckled and shook his head, but he agreed. He also could need some action. A couple of fights, some explosions…  
"Alright, let's go."  
"YES!" and Vinnie already drove outside. Throttle and Modo mounted their bikes. Kiwi was at the bank for her monthly appointment. So, not much to do around here now anyway.  
They followed Vinnie and drove to LP. And it turned out to be a good thing. Suddenly, the sound of explosions was loudly heard and they saw buildings crumble into the dust in the distance.  
"Wow, looks like we got right on time, bro's. Really, talk about good timing. But then again, it was me after all who dragged you guys out of the house", Vinnie said with a arrogant smile on his face.  
"Let's ride", Throttle sighed.

An hour later, they were standing on the roof of the building across LP. They could look right into Limburger's office and he was looking way too happy. He was talking to himself and looking at a map from Chicago. Vinnie smirked and grabbed his gun. He fired and the glass shattered. That took Limburger's attention.  
"Heeeeeey, sewage breath!", Vinnie cheered and waved his gun around his finger before putting it back in his holster.  
Throttle was leaning with his arm on Modo's shoulder and smiled.  
"We thought you were a bit hasty with your new project…"  
"Yeah, yeah, so we thought; we help out by moving some of your explosives around", and Modo pointed down.  
Limburger looked down out of the hole where the window used to be and sighed. More than 10 boxes, filled with TNT, exploded and the whole building rocked.  
"Oh my…", and Limburger lost his balance and fell out of the window. He let out a loud scream, but his grabbing hands found grip by another open window, a few floors lower.  
The mice laughed.  
"Ha! Get a grip, stinkface!", Modo laughed, shaking his head.  
"Hahaha yeah! Is this what they call… clutch play?" and Vinnie mimicked how Limburger had wildy grabbed around him to find something to hold on to. They burst out into laughter.  
Limburger, who was still hanging out of the window, glared at them.  
"I shall have the last laugh, you miserable rodents. For I observe you have overlooked one of my explosive charges…"  
The mice stopped laughing and looked down. They saw Karbunkle waving at them, holding a wick that was attached to say at least 20 boxes of TNT.  
Limburger laughed out loud. The mice looked at each other.  
"Uh oh…", Modo squealed.  
"Guess this blows our plans, ey bro's?", Vinnie asked, but still a smile on his face. He wanted explosions after all. He could only be happy that he for once got what he'd asked for.  
They ran to their bikes, but their sensitive hearing could hear that Karbunkle had lighted the wick. And when they revved their bikes, a deafening explosion rocked the building. The floor started to shatter, and the mice had no time to fire their jets. The floor broke and they fell down, along with their bikes.  
"Shake, rattle and roll, bro's! It's time to do the rock hop!", Throttle ordered.  
Vinnie's face lit up.  
"Yeah, I can dance to that! AAAOOWWW!"  
They revved their bikes, jumped on another piece of rock and landed on a floor that wasn't collapsed. But that wasn't gonna take long, so the mice split up to find their own way to get out of the building as soon as possible.  
Throttle took the stairs.  
"Man, and they tell you the stairs are safe in a emergency", he said with a shaking voice, trying to drive as fast as he could on a stair and avoiding falling rocks at the same time.  
Modo drove straight towards the lift and blew the doors open with his arm cannon.  
"Ground floor, please", and he jumped into the shaft. With his metal hand, he grabbed the cable and slid down.  
Vinnie just drove through the building, like always, without a plan. When he looked forward, he saw a huge hole in the floor. He hit the brakes, but his bike just drove over a big, metal plate and he slid towards the hole.  
"Woooooowwww" and he fell down, his bike still on the metal plate. He quickly jumped off his bike and tried to steer the plate, like he was surfing. That worked.  
"Yiiiaaaoooww!", he cheered happily. When he was down, he ditched the plate and jumped on his bike. He hit the accelerator and just before the building collapsed, he flew out. He saw Modo and Throttle standing a few feet away and joined them. He hit the brakes and pulled off his helmet.  
"Yeaahh, some pretty studly moves there", he smiled.  
"Well, mighty nice of you to say that, Vinnie", Modo smiled at him.  
Vinnie shook his head.  
"Not you, bro. I was talking about me!"  
Throttle sighed and leaned with his head in his hands.  
"What a surprise…"  
"Yeah, you're always talking about you", Modo said, pointing at Vinnie. "But we do some pretty good work too, you know!"  
Vinnie shrugged, a little blush on his cheeks.  
"Yeah, well, but…", he stuttered.  
"That's right, big fella. We're not just hanging around", and Throttle waved his hands.  
Vinnie opened his mouth, but then…  
"You wretched rodents!", they heard Limburger yelling. Throttle looked up and a big smile appeared on his face.  
"Speaking of hanging around…"  
Modo and Vinnie both looked up too, Vinnie more than happy with this distraction.  
"How dare you escape certain destruction, again!", and Limburger tried to climb into his building. But his pants didn't agree with his movements and tore, right on his ass. The mice could see his red, with cheese decorated, underpants. Limburger looked at his butt, his eyes wide.  
"Oeh…"  
"Sorry to let you down, cheese fin!", Modo said, laughing.  
"But speaking of let down…", Throttle said, his finger slowly reaching for a button on his bike.  
"It's time you feel the gravity of the situation", Vinnie finished and he also reached for a button. They pushed it and cannons flew out.  
"NOOOO! Please, not like this…", Limburger cried, but the rockets exploded and his building went down. Again.  
"AAAOOWW!", Vinnie bounced on his bike while they drove away. "Just what I needed!"  
"Like I said… We do some pretty good work too!", Modo repeated, while looking at Vinnie. His white furred bro raised his hand and they high fived. Modo smiled satisfied. Vinnie's way of saying he was sorry and that Modo was right. Good. That was gonna be at least 2 months with less bragging. Then the whole thing would start all over again. But that was then. Now is now. And for now, it worked.

A burning sun. Red sand. Sizzling heat. The penetrating smell of blood. He was lying on his belly, he could feel the hot sand against his fur, the burning sun on his back... Throttle looked up, squeezing his eyes against the bright light. He saw his bike lying next to him, heavily damaged. What happened…  
His heart stopped a beat when he saw the explosion in the distance. No…  
He scrambled on his feet, but fell down again. Pain jolted through his body and he looked down. A deep, nasty looking wound in his side. Blood was streaming down. Drip. Drip. Drip.  
The already red sand sucked it up, consumed it, making it even redder. He looked at the base again. He needed to keep going. He couldn't give up. His reason and his life…  
He moaned and gritted his teeth. He took a few deep breaths and slowly rose to his feet again. A scream escaped his mouth. The pain was unbearable. But no giving up. Slowly, he stumbled to the base. It looked like he was walking through quicksand. But no giving up.  
Finally, after a journey that felt like hours, he reached the entrance. Cool air filled his nose. He left the burning heat of the sun behind him when he stumbled inside. No giving up. He grabbed the wall to support him. He looked up and his heart stopped. He fell on his knees. No…  
He tried to crawl closer. No giving up. His reason and his life. But the pain overpowered him. Overwhelmed him. It dragged him to a place he didn't want to be. Dark. Cold. Lonely… No...  
No giving up. She needed him. He stretched his hand. She didn't respond. He tried to say something. He tried to call her name. No giving up. His voice failed on him. The darkness slowly took over. The last thing he saw, were her eyes, staring back.  
Lifeless eyes.  
Lifeless eyes, but still full with judgement. No…  
"Carbine…"

Throttle jerked upright, soaked in sweat. He was breathing heavily, his heart almost exploded out of his chest. He looked around wildly, but he couldn't see anything. Shit. Where was he? He… His glasses. He grabbed them. Really, it was some sort of automatic reflex, since he still had no idea where he was. But when he put on his glasses, it started to dawn on him. It was a dream. Of course it was. Jesus… He threw away the blanket, that was sticking to his fur. He shook his head and almost ran out of the room. He needed air. Fast.  
He burst outside, into the garden and fell down on his knees. The cool grass brought him back to reality. He let out a deep sigh and slowly, he calmed down. He was staring at the grass, deep in thoughts. Suddenly, a hand on his shoulder.  
"You okay, bro?"  
Modo's deep voice. Throttle looked up. The grey furred giant looked back friendly.  
Throttle slowly climbed on his feet again.  
"Yeah, I guess… man…", he sighed, his voice even more husky than usual. Modo sat down at the picnic table closeby and Throttle joined him.  
"I heard you storming outside. Well, at first I thought it was Vinnie, but when I came outside, I saw it was you. Nightmare?"  
It wasn't the first time the two bro's were sitting together in the middle of the night. War was devastating. War gave you nightmares. Deeply hidden fears became real. Well, it felt real. Like your brain was playing some sort of sick game. Throttle knew his bro would never judge. They both never judged. They were just there for each other when needed.  
"Yeah… About Carbine. Man, I hadn't really thought about her in a while, but I talked to Kiwi about Carbine a few days back and… well, I guess that's why I suddenly dream about her again…"  
"You talked to Kiwi about Carbine?", Modo asked, half shocked, half curious. Not that his bro never talked about her, I mean, he wasn't Vinnie after all, but still…  
Throttle chuckled, but it didn't sound joyfull.  
"Yeah… She asked if we had a girl waiting for us back on Mars…", Throttle said softly. He looked at Modo and saw his face clouding.  
"You told her about….", Modo started, but he couldn't say her name. He had never mentioned her name again after he'd lost her. He just couldn't.  
"No. Only that you've lost someone, but that's all bro. It's your story, not mine. Tell her when you're ready. If not, no big deal."  
There was a long silence. Throttle looked up at the sky, searching for the small, red dot that was their home. Carbine. Man, how much he had loved her, how much he still loves her, actually. How painful it was to lose her. To lose her like this. To stand under her command, and the only time she talked to him was to give him an order. His ears drooped. He missed her. He had tried to deny it, he really had tried to move on, but truth is… he missed her a lot. Well, she had made her choice. And he needed to accept that. But that was hard. Sometimes he caught himself wondering if it maybe was less painful if she just had died. He just couldn't stop himself. But to know she was still alive and kicking, to see her every day, to be with her in the same room everyday, being so close to her, and yet so far away… That was killing him. Since he was on Earth, he hardly had thought about her. Maybe it was a good thing to be here. Even if it still felt wrong because he knew Mars needed them, he had needed this. They all had needed this. And he was gonna come back. Someday…  
He shivered. The sweat had turned cold in the fresh air. He clapped Modo on the shoulder.  
"I'm gonna go back to bed, big fella. Thanks and good night."  
Modo mumbled something back, clearly deep in thoughts. Throttle let him. He walked back inside, but when he wanted to walk into his room, he suddenly heard a loud bang. He followed the noise and opened Vinnie's room. Apparently, he wasn't the only one having a bad night. The white furred mouse was twisting and turning and had knocked down the lamp off his nightstand in the proces. Throttle sighed and closed the door again. No matter how bad nightmares were, his younger bro handled them way better in his sleep than if he was awake. Best thing to do was let him sleep. Throttle had learned that the hard way. When he was lying in his bed again, he stared at the ceiling.  
Life… It definitely ain't a straight road…

Days past by, and the nightmares slowly faded away. Vinnie was his usual cheerful self, Throttle had found his calmth again and Modo… well, Modo was a little quieter than usual. But he would pull through. Throttle knew he would. He also knew that he had no choice. But maybe that's what's keeping them on their feet, instead of being consumed by fear, sorrow and despair. Giving up just wasn't an option. But it didn't make it less painful. Less heavy.  
Vinnie was lying on the couch, his feet on Kiwi's lap and his tail loosely wrapped around her wrist.  
Kiwi was reading a book and Vinnie was turning listless through a magazine he had found. Not that he really was interested in it. But he was bored, alright. He suddenly jerked upright.  
"Heeey! What's this?", he yelled. Throttle could hear the excitement in his voice. That could only mean trouble.  
Modo, who was sitting on the other couch, looked over Vinnie's shoulder.  
"Military hardware exposition", he read out loud.  
"New weapons", Vinnie continued, his voice high. "COOL!"  
Throttle joined them and saw a big advertisement for, indeed, a military exposition. With a picture of a huge ship that was, by the looks of things, heavily armed.  
'The Annihilator' was its name, according to the advertisement. The tan furred mouse rubbed his chin.  
"Now center, Vincent. It's not so cool if the wrong hands, or should I say fins, gets a hold of this goodies", he said.  
"Yeah, we all know a certain stinkfish who would be all over this stuff like slime on a bucket", Modo agreed.  
Vinnie jumped on his feet, clearly having one of his… let's just say; happy moments.  
"Okay, okay, okay. So what would you say if we jumped the gun and guard the goods before the goons get there?", he asked, talking so fast they hardly could understand him. Kiwi hid her smile behind her book.  
Throttle and Modo looked at each other and smiled.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"  
They were gone before Kiwi even could say a word. She giggled and focussed on her book again.

The mice walked into the building, looking around them. The place was deserted. They walked past the old objects from the military, including cars, tanks, weapons…  
Vinnie spotted the big attraction he was looking for and walked closer to it. His bro's followed him. Vinnie looked at the big dome, that was made of milk glass and blocking their view of the Annihilator. The doors were closed and a sign told them they couldn't enter.  
"Ah man… Looks like the star attraction is still under wraps…", Vinnie pouted, immediately bored again.  
"We're not here to sightsee, Vincent", Throttle said, slightly annoyed. Honestly, that boy's obsession with weapons was concerning sometimes.  
But suddenly, the whole dome exploded and the mice quickly did a few steps back, holding their arms above their heads to protect themselves for the glass that flew around. Vinnie smiled.  
"Well, we may not be here to sightsee… But there's a sight to see!", and he pointed at the big ship. It was huge and indeed, full with impressing looking weapons.  
"Uh oh… It's those offensive creeps", Modo said, pointing at goons that were standing next to the ship. Of course they were right again. Limburger wanted this toy.  
"Well, let's manage our own offensives!", Vinnie cheered, his fingers in the shape of a gun.  
"Yeah, we will give them a real arms display!", and Modo raised his arm cannon.  
"That's right! With some of our own heavy artillery", and Throttle activated his knuck-knocks.  
Vinnie almost bounced on his feet. His bro's were always so easy to convince, so easy to make them just as eager to fight as him. But then again, they were bro's after all.  
They run towards the goons and Greasepit. The latter jumped in the air when he saw the mice coming straight at him.  
"Yous guys handle them hamsters", he said to the goons, but he suddenly got pushed away and fell on the floor. A big, robot looking man came into view.  
"Stand clear, soldier. My name is the Pulverizer and I'm gonna tear out your whiskers and use them to floss my teeth!"  
The mice stopped and looked at the new villain, hired by Limburger. It was indeed a robot, but with the uniform of a army officer. He was huge, and his face looked like a real face, with a light green skin. And given the way he treated Greaspit, he must be a general. The robot raised his hand and shot at the mice. They quickly jumped out of the way.  
"Sooooo…. Giant's got a power fist, ey?", Modo asked, climbing on his feet again.  
"Well, as it happens, so do I", Throttle smiled and he activated his knuck-knocks again. He walked towards the villain.  
"Come to uncle Throttle… you hamfisted headcase!" and Throttle attacked. But the general dodged the attack and Throttle slammed his fist into an ancient tank that was standing closeby.  
"WOW!", and the whole thing exploded. Throttle lay on the ground, a little dazed.  
"Missed… hehehe", he chuckled.

Meanwhile, Vinnie and Modo were fighting the goons. They jumped behind a large pile of empty rockets to find cover for the laser shots that were fired on them. Vinnie rubbed his chin, looking at it. Modo smiled.  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?", he asked his younger bro. Vinnie looked at him and smiled back.  
"I'm thinking what you're thinking."  
They quickly grabbed the two metal poles that were holding the rocket shells together and the whole pile collapsed.  
"Let's roll!", the two mice cheered.  
The goons saw the huge amount of shells rolling towards them and quickly jumped between four military cars to search cover. Vinnie grabbed a flair, lit it and threw it. The cars exploded and the goons… well, were no threat anymore. Modo and Vinnie high fived.  
Throttle was still having his hands, well powerfist, full with the the Pulverizer. He jumped behind a car to avoid a shot and gritted his teeth. He grabbed the car and threw it, with help of his knuck-knocks, towards the robot. But the Pulverizer was prepared. He raised his fist and shot his powerful laser, coming out of his fist. The car flew away, right towards Vinnie and Modo. Luckily, they could avoid it that it crushed them, but the Pulverizer was standing before them all of a sudden.  
"I almost pity you, you rat buzzards!" and he was about to hit them, when he heard a dangerously low voice behind him.  
"Pity yourself, pal…"  
He turned around and saw a very angry Throttle standing in front of him.  
"You tried to bruise my bro's…" and he parked his fist in the general's face. The robot flew away and crashed through a wall, closeby the Annihilator.  
"You guys okay?", Throttle asked, while looking at his bro's. But Vinnie was still smiling.  
"Man! This is one rockin' party!", he cheered.  
"Yeah, but if we're gonna dance, we're gonna need our partners", Modo agreed and he whistled.  
The bikes flew inside and they jumped on it. They drove towards the big ship and stopped in front of it.  
"Well, time to finish this", Modo said nonchalant, like they were taking a stroll downtown.  
"You got it, bro's. Let's ROCK…"  
"...and... oh... ", they trailed off when they heard the engine of the big ship. The massive thing slowly rose into the air, with Greasepit and the Pulverizer in the cockpit.  
"Well, it looks like the main attraction just decided to put on a little show after all!", Vinnie said, looking impressed at the big ship that flew towards them.  
The bro's popped a wheelie and fired their jets. They flew over the ship and fired their lasers. But it was no use. Not even a dent.  
"Oh man, this thing got skin thicker than a week old hotdog", Modo said, looking behind him. The ship turned it's guns and fired at them. The mice revved their engines and quickly drove away.  
"Man, we're gonna take this trash can out, before it hurts some innocent folks!", Throttle yelled and they blasted their way out of the building.  
"Yeah! Like us!", Vinnie agreed.  
The mice drove full speed, but the big ship easily caught up with them. A big rocket exploded close behind them and the explosion was too powerful. The mice flew of their bikes, crashed into a empty building. Another rocket made sure the building exploded and burried the bro's under rocks. The mice got knocked out immediately, but the bikes managed to send a stress signal to Kiwi, since they didn't got caught in the explosion.

"Guys? Guys?"  
Vinnie moaned. Did he hear Kiwi's voice? He pricked his ears. Yeah. It was her. And she was scared, he could tell. He slowly opened his eyes, but he couldn't move. He was stuck between two big rocks. Ugh, he needed to get out of here. He gritted his teeth and with a ferm jerk, he managed to get his hand out. He felt Kiwi's hand grabbing his.  
"Vinnie! Oh my god, Vinnie, are you okay?"  
Her voice. The panic. He just couldn't stand it. It gave him the power to get loose and with all his strength, he threw away the rock that was lying on top of him. Fresh air filled his nose and he saw Kiwi. Her beautiful, blue eyes, filled with worry and fear. He slowly got up, stretching his muscles.  
"Man. That thing packs a serious punch…", he growled. Kiwi's hands flew over his body, to check him on wounds. But next to some scratches, he was fine.  
"Jesus, you sure had me scared this time…", she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.  
"So, you were worried about me, huh sweetheart?", he winked at her. She glared at him.  
"Of course I was worried about you, you stupid macho mouse. Now, help me to free your bro's", she yelled, way too agitated.  
Vinnie snickered.  
"Must have hit a nerve…", he whispered and he gave her that arrogant charming smile of his. But he turned around and started to throw away rocks. Soon after, he got his bro's out. After a quick examination, they turned out to be fine too.  
"What is gonna happen to Chicago now that Limburger has the Annihilator in his slimy hand?", Kiwi asked, looking at them.  
Throttle walked to his bike. "Well, if past performance is any indication, I'd say the big cheese is about to put a severe hurt on the windy city."  
"Right", Vinnie said, lifting his bike back on her tires again. "So, I say we put a hurt on him!" and he revved his engine.  
"Hold it! Hold it, we can't just charge in this time", Throttle said, holding his hand up to stop his way too eager bro.  
"Ah man… Buzzkill…." and Vinnie leaned with his head in his hands.  
Modo, who also was back on his bike, looked at Throttle.  
"What do you got in mind, Throttle?", he asked, knowing a plan was brewing in his leaders head.  
"A little battle armor of our own. Let's ride!"  
"Yeah! This time, it's war!"

"Great idea, to use metal plates to protect your bikes", Kiwi said, looking at the mice who were working to wrap up their whole bikes with metal plates. They had found them at the old junkyard close by Kiwi's house.  
"Yeah, I'd like to see that flying swiss army knife cut through these babies", Modo nodded, while screwing a plate on the front of his bike.  
Vinnie was already done, looking on a small distance at his work, a proud smile on his face.  
"Here ya go, babe. The biggest guns and the most armor!"  
But his bike wasn't too happy about it. She revved her engine, beeping angrily, and popped a wheelie.  
"Oops… maybe I overdid it…", Vinnie chuckled, a little embarrassed.  
"Hmmm… Maybe it's not a good idea to ride so heavy…", Throttle said, looking at Vinnie's bike. As usual, the white furred mouse had outdone himself again. He shook his head, slightly amused.  
"It's just temporary. Just until we trash old stinkface his new toy…", Modo said to his precious bike, who was also not amused about this whole thing.  
Only Throttle's bike seemed to accept it. But then again, his bike was the same as his. Calm. Knowing what needs to be done. Accepting things like they were.  
Vinnie decided his bike needed to stop her whining. No way he was gonna leave his biggest rockets behind, only because she wasn't happy about the weight.  
Girls and their weight… ugh.

They drove through the streets, into the direction of the big ship that was flying above the city. When the Pulverizer saw the mice, he immediately opened fire on them. But this time, he missed. The mice came closer and also opened fire. They aimed at the wings and that worked. The ship rocked, but held it. It lowered it's cannons and fired at the mice. It hit Vinnie's bike and because of the impact, his bike flew backwards.  
"Waaoowww!" and he smiled when he got his bike back under control.  
"Takes a knocking…" and he revved his engine. '... and keeps on rocking!"  
He drove back towards the ship and shot two of his biggest rockets, laughing loud. The explosion was deafening and the ship flew away because of the hard impact. But it still wasn't really damaged. It came back and fired his laser. But the armors protected the mice and the bikes.  
"Hey, these battle shells do their job!", Modo smiled, happy his bike was fully protected.  
"Yeah, now it's time that we do ours", Throttle ordered.  
"Let's ROCK… and RIDE!"  
They fired their jets, drove under the ship and turned. Now they were following the ship and they shot their laser at the bottom of the ship. Even if it didn't stop it, it did get damaged.  
The mice split up and Throttle followed the ship on the left. He used all his fire power and the ship turned right. There, it crossed Vinnie, who stopped his bike facing the ship. The ship also stopped, floating above the ground.  
Vinnie pushed a button and cannons came out of every hole he had made in the armor. A evil grin almost split his face in half.  
"Come on… Hit me with your best shot…", he provoked. The ship, or actually the Pulverizer, did what he asked, but the laser bounced back because of the armor and hit a building. The top exploded and rocks rained down.  
Vinnie nodded impressed.  
"Whoaa, not bad. But now, try this!" and he fired four huge rockets. The ship exploded and crashed against another building.  
"Cool, the armor is holding up", Throttle said, looking at the smoking hole where the ship had crashed. Vinnie opened his visor, held his fingers in the shape of a gun and pretended to blow away smoke..  
They suddenly heard the ship's engine again. Apparently, it still wasn't destroyed. It flew back to the mice.  
"Let's nail that goony gun ship", Vinnie growled, his voice low.  
"One hammer, coming up!" and Modo fired a rocket. It maybe wasn't that big as Vinnie's, but it still had effect. But not enough.  
"We just gotta knock a little louder", Throttle yelled.  
"Hey, that rings my bell!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Let's do it!"  
They hit the accelerator and drove towards the heavily damaged ship. They fired rockets at the same time and the front of the ship exploded.  
"We got our opening. Let's make the most of it", Throttle said.  
"Looks like mister big shot is gonna give us a hand", Modo pointed at the the general that was standing in the cockpit, furious.  
"Aaaooww, what a rush!", Vinnie cheered, popping a wheelie. This was just one amazing day.  
Just like Modo had predicted, the general shot with his powerfist. Throttle catched the laserbeam with his armor and passed it on to Modo.  
"Yours, Modo!" and Modo passed it on to Vinnie.  
"Vinnie! Set up for the smash!"  
Vinnie tried to jump into the air, using his jets, but his bike was too heavy. The bike did came loose from the ground, but not high enough and tumbled backwards. It made a few somersaults and Vinnie landed back on his tires, just when the laser hit the front of his bike. Vinnie flew backwards because of the force of the laser and because he wasn't prepared since his stunt completely went wrong. He crashed through a advertisement board and landed next to his bike. He chuckled, shaking his head.  
Miraculously, the laser did hit the ship and that was the final touch. It went down and crashed on LP, that exploded into a million pieces.

The bro's stopped in front of the remains of the tower.  
"Another job well done, bro's", Throttle said, looking at his bro's with proud.  
"Yep! Let's head back home and get these armors off our rides", Modo suggested.  
"Nahhh, let them wait. I'd say root beer and dogs first, bikes later…", but his bike had it. She threw Vinnie off and he landed hard on the ground, again.  
Throttle and Modo laughed out loud.  
"I don't think your bike sees it quite the same way, Vinnie", Throttle chuckled.  
"Okay, okay, okay. The dogs can wait. Let's get out of here before this bike got anything else to say", and Vinnie jumped back on his bike.  
"Alright, you motorcycle mad men… Let's ROCK…", Throttle yelled, popping a wheelie.  
"... and RIDE!"

* * *

I can tell ya, this was a hard chapter to write, especially the part with the ship.  
A lot is happening at the same time and sometimes my English isn't good enough to describe it all.  
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review :)


	17. Chapter 16

Hey you guys!  
Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad my English is good enoug for you to understand.  
Karkas, yeah, I just typed it in Dutch, didn't even noticed it when I was checking the chapter, whahaha.  
And I'm also very glad to hear you guys like my story. I must say, I'm having a blast writing it.

On to the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter sixteen**

"Steady… Aim…", Vinnie ordered, looking closely at Kiwi.  
Kiwi was holding the gun in her right hand and her left one on her back. Since she could hit every target now with two hands, Vinnie had decided they could take a step forward in practise.  
"Whenever you're ready, doll."  
Kiwi let out her breath, focussed and pulled the trigger.  
"God dammit, I missed again!", she yelled frustrated, waving the gun angrily.  
Vinnie smiled and quickly snatched the gun out of her hand with his tail.  
"Nobody said this was easy, sweetheart."  
"But you guys always make it look so easy!"  
"Years of practise. And of course, some of us are more talented than others…", Vinnie smirked arrogant and flexed his muscles.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes.  
"I need a break", and she walked to the picnic table. With a heavy sigh, she sat down.  
Vinnie joined her. He saw the frustration on her face.  
"No sweat, sweetheart. You're gonna learn soon enough. We'll just keep practising."  
"Where did you learn all this stuff?", she asked, suddenly curious.  
Vinnie glanced at her.  
"On Mars."  
"Geez, no shit, wiseguy", Kiwi laughed and Vinnie winked at her.  
"Really, I wanna know. Unless you don't wanna talk about it…", she said casually, studying her fingernails.  
"We had a good coach. Stoker. He taught us everything we know now", Vinnie said after a long silence.  
She looked at him and saw the glance in his eyes. Admiration. This Stoker guy must be a important part of their lives.  
"Sounds like a important guy, this Stoker."  
"He is."  
Kiwi noticed he said 'is' instead of 'was'. That answered her question if the guy was still alive. She started to learn how to talk to Vinnie. The best thing was not to ask things too directly, at least, not when it maybe could trigger something she didn't wanted to trigger. She looked at him. He was playing with the tip of his tail, obviously not at ease. But unlike previous times she had tried to talk about his life, he stayed where he was instead of walking away. Maybe they did make some progress. She was still deep in thoughts, when Vinnie suddenly broke the silence.  
"He eh… he… he's important. When my parents died, he ehm… he… found me… I…", the white furred mouse stuttered.  
Kiwi said nothing and gave him time to find the words. She gently took his hand and squeezed it. That helped. He took a deep breath.  
"He introduced me to the Freedom Fighters. Asked me if I wanted to join. I immediately said yes. He kinda… he kinda took me under his wing, the first few months… So, yeah, he's important…"

Kiwi couldn't stop staring at him. This was the first time he kinda opened up, well, next to that one time he had told her about the loss of his parents. Vinnie looked at their hands, their entwined fingers. He slowly lifted his head, his ruby red eyes wide open. She looked him in the eye. For a moment, nothing happened. Well, it maybe looked like nothing happened. But Kiwi had the feeling she was on fire. A tingle in her belly and she was completely mesmerized by his eyes… his beautiful eyes. Everything around her started to fade away, until it was only him and her.  
His eyes lowered and looked at her lips. She could feel her cheeks burn and her breathing became heavier. Oh my god, what was happening here?  
Vinnie looked back into her eyes. She saw how his breathing also became heavier and she felt that she slowly leaned forward. But right before her nose touched his, she stopped. She could feel his breathing on her burning lips. He smelled so good. She looked at his lips, which were curled into that little, crooked smile she loved so much. She felt how he also came closer and she slowly closed her eyes, but then…  
"Yo Vin, wanna come… Oh… "  
Modo's voice.  
Kiwi's eyes flew open and she jerked upright. She looked at Vinnie, who also looked startled. But he soon recovered and gave her that arrogant, lazy smile. But he was also blushing. Great. Just great.  
Kiwi looked at Modo, who was standing in the door opening from the guest house. He looked from her to Vinnie and back.  
"Am I interrupting something?", he asked, slightly amused.  
Kiwi jumped at her feet.  
"NO! No, not at all. I was just telling Vinnie I'm going to ehm… shop! Yeah, that's it. I'm going to shop… So ehm… Yeah… Bye!"  
And she stormed away, her head redder than a tomato.  
Vinnie watched her leave and shook his head, a smile on his face.  
Modo walked over to him.  
"So, you and Kiwi, huh?"  
Vinnie looked at him with a shocked look on his face.  
"What? No way, man. This mouse got not strings attached", as he pointed at himself.  
Modo shook his head.  
"Like I believe that. Why can't you just admit it, bro?"  
"There is nothing to admit. You're seeing ghosts, big fella."  
His eyes told otherwise. Modo could see the poor guy was head over heels with the girl. But there was also denial. Sadness. Pain. He sighed.  
"Vinnie, you don't have to punish yourself the rest of your life. It wasn't your fault."  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Harley. He was talking about Harley.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Modo", he said, his voice low.  
This was off limits. He vowed never to talk about it again. Just like all the other shit that had happened to him. Never.  
"Your stubbornness is gonna cost you your life someday", Modo breathed, rolling his eyes.  
Vinnie jumped at his feet, pointing a finger at the gray furred giant.  
"Oh yeah? And what about you, big fella? It's not like you moved on after…", but he trailed off when he saw the furious look on Modo's face.  
They both glared at each other, their tails lashing.  
"Don't you dare to bring her up, Vincent", Modo growled.  
Vinnie gritted his teeth.  
"Who? You mean Cami?", he blurted out, but then he closed his mouth. Oops… Him and his big mouth…  
Modo's eye started glowing red. He was about to make a move, when Throttle jumped between them.  
"Wow, wow, hey, easy, big fella. I don't know what he did this time, but I know you're gonna regret it if you kill him", he said calmly, grabbing Modo by the shoulders. Vinnie quickly did a few steps backwards, out of Modo's range. He wasn't that easily scared. But a angry Modo… well, that could be challenging sometimes. And even if he was always in for a challenge, this was one he mostly avoided. Unless this time. He crossed the line, he knew that. Cami's death had devastated his older bro. But...  
"I'm not sure if I am…", Modo said slowly, his eye still glowing red.  
Throttle sighed.  
"You are. Trust me."  
Modo took a deep breath and relaxed a little. Now he was sure his bro wasn't gonna make a move at the white furred mouse, Throttle turned around and looked at Vinnie. The white furred mouse shrunk, but, as always, got defensive.  
"What? What did I do wrong?" _You know what you did wrong… Just say it...  
_ "I warned you not to bring her up!", Modo yelled at him, clearly still upset.  
Throttle immediately knew what had happened. Dammit, Vinnie… You and your big mouth…  
"Really? When are you gonna learn to control that big mouth of yours?", the tan furred mouse asked, shaking his head and crossing his arms before his chest.  
"This is so unfair!", Vinnie started. _Just say you're sorry…  
_ Throttle felt a upcoming headache. It was just one of these days…  
"He is always asking me things about stuff I don't wanna talk about, but nobody cares about that!" _Say it, you stupid mouse.  
_ "Why do I always get the blame? It's not fair!" _SAY IT!  
_ "Vincent, enough. You sound like my sister when she was about, well, I don't know, four years old. Get the point?"  
Vinnie snorted and crossed his arms, his tail lashing through the air.  
Throttle took a deep breath. He didn't had the strength for this. Not today.  
"Why don't we go test that four wheel drive we build on the bikes?", he suggested.  
Modo relaxed and nodded.  
"Great idea, I can use a good ride to clear my head."  
Vinnie transformed back to his happy and cheerful self so quickly, it was almost concerning.  
"Music to my ears!"  
Throttle and Modo turned around and walked to the bikes.  
Vinnie followed them, staring at Modo's back.  
 _I'm sorry, Modo…_

A few days ago, they had found a lot of old, big tires at the junkyard. Throttle had came up with the idea to adjust four of them on each bike, so they could race each other in the dunes and the beach from Lake Michigan, just outside town. As it turned out, it was a perfect way to clear the head after an argument.  
Modo was taking the lead, closely followed by Vinnie and Throttle. Vinnie hit the accelerator and flew past his big bro, only on his rear tires.  
"AAOOWW, number one baddest hero, Vinnie, takes the lead!", he cheered, looking at Modo over his shoulder with a big smile.  
"Come on, Lil' Darling. Let's show him who just is the baddest!", and Modo sped forward, taking the lead again.  
"Hey", Vinnie said, slightly annoyed. He tried to go past Modo, but the big guy didn't gave him enough space. "Outta my way! I can't see around your big, old…"  
"Buttin' it up, wrenchead", Modo interrupted him, a smile on his face. Just what he needed. Winning a race from Vinnie. The least he deserved after what he had said.  
But suddenly, when they drove past a big hill, Throttle jumped over them and took the lead.  
"Keep on 'm", Throttle said, patting his bike lovingly.  
"Last one past the sand dunes is a nasty pair of Plutarkian underwear!", Vinnie yelled happily.  
"Ugh, well, you would know, huh?", Throttle said with a disgust look on his face.  
"Ah man, that's just grose", Modo agreed.  
"Do I have a way with words, or what?", Vinnie smiled.  
 _Yeah, sure. You do. Especially when it comes to tell your bro, your family, that you're sorry.  
_ He shook off the unpleasant thoughts and focussed on the race. Which, of course, he was gonna win. Obviously.  
He saw his bro's speeding up, getting closer to the dune. He laughed and popped a wheelie. He fired his jets and while his bro's drove around the dune, he just crashed right through it. When he blasted his way out, he landed and stopped on the edge of the next cliff. He won. Of course he did.  
"AAAOOWWW! The baddest!", he cheered, pumping his fist in the air.  
His bro's joined him, Modo clearly not amused.  
"Hey, foul! You can't violate a course hazard that way, come on!", he yelled at his white furred bro, who looked back innocently.  
Throttle laughed, he just couldn't help it. That adrenaline junkie would do anything to win in the most creative ways.  
"Vinnie is a course hazard, bro!"  
"Not to mention one of your major scenic attractions", Vinnie added, a arrogant smile on his face, studying his nails.  
"Yeah well, if you move your swelled head for a minute, mister warmth, we can see what is going on there", Throttle suddenly said, pointing down. Something had caught his eye. Big trucks were driving on the sand plains, and by the looks of things, sucking up the sand. That couldn't be good.  
"Looks like Limburger is ripping up the whole beach", Throttle said when he saw Greasepit sitting in one of the trucks.  
"Since when did Limburger take over the sandman franchise?", Vinnie asked.  
Throttle rubbed his chin. "Hmm… sand… Plutark probably needs cement, bro's. And from the looks of things, lots of it!"  
The mice were so caught up in finding out what Limburger was up to now, they didn't notice they got surrounded by goons. Vinnie suddenly heard a lot of engines and he looked up. His bro's did the same.  
"Hope you guys feeling cool", Throttle said.  
"'Cause we're in for a hot time on the beach tonight!", Vinnie smiled.  
"Oh momma…", Modo sighed and he closed his visor.

Vinnie revved his bike and turned his bike so he could face his bro's. He pumped his fist in the air.  
"Okay, you mad men. Let's party!", he cheered, all hyped up and ready to fight.  
"Ah ah ah, business before pleasure, Vincent", Throttle said, his finger pointing at his white furred bro. "And our first order of business are those vacuum trucks!"  
"Yeah, there's a sucker taking out every minute", Modo said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
Throttle leaned on his handlebars, shaking his head.  
"Oh, puhlease… Who writes your lines?", he sighed.  
Modo smiled embarrassed and shrugged.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

They revved their bikes and drove towards the goons, full speed, but only to use the dune where they were standing as a ramp. They jumped into the air and flew over the goons, straight towards the trucks. The goons looked confused at each other.  
Suddenly, Greasepit's voice was loudly heard over the speakers that were attached at his truck.  
"Now hear this! Attention! Look out! Danger! DANGER!"  
Vinnie fired a laser and hit Greasepit's truck full on the front. The truck got out of control and crashed against a dune, making Greasepit fly out and crashing in the sand. Vinnie waved at him and drove further, a smile on his face.  
Throttle drove towards two trucks and fired his laser. The ground before the trucks exploded and the trucks flew into the air because of the force. They crashed into the hole, clearly out of action.  
Modo drove next to another truck, waving at the goon behind the wheel. He let go of his handlebar and climbed on his seat. He popped his head into the cabin.  
"Breaktime!", and he punched the goon in the face. The poor guy flew out of the other window and landed meters away.  
Vinnie drove straight towards a truck and the did the same, laughing loud. Vinnie pushed a button on his bike and his laser came out.  
"Go ahead… make my day…", he said with a low voice and hit the brakes.  
The goon did the same and for a short moment, they're only staring at each other. But when the goon saw the expression on Vinnie's face, he knew he had made a mistake. He quickly turned tail, screaming in fear.  
Vinnie laughed out loud.  
"Hahaha, what a great line! Oh gosh, I should use that one more often!"  
Modo stopped next to him.  
"Personally, I think we all get a little bit tired of that one."  
Throttle stopped on the other side of Vinnie.  
"Yeah, why don't you try it out on them?" and he pointed behind him.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder and saw three goons driving towards them.  
Throttle and Modo sped away, but Vinnie turned his bike and faced the goons. He opened his visor and grabbed a blade of grass. He put it in his mouth and gritted his teeth.  
"Go ahead… make my day…", he said, his voice even lower now and a threatening look on his face.  
But the goons weren't impressed. They fired three rockets and the explosion made Vinnie and his bike flying into the sky. Vinnie flew off and landed in a sand dune.  
"AUTSJ!"  
Throttle and Modo stopped closeby, shaking their heads with a smile.  
"Vinnie, you've gotta watch what you're doing", Throttle warned him, but then laughed. "Failed the audience reaction test!"  
Modo laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you see, the trick is; you've gotta keep your teeth clenched, like this", Modo said and did what he said. "You feel lucky, punk?", he growled, but then started laughing again.  
But again, the goons weren't impressed and Modo landed right next to Vinnie. They both got back on their feet.  
"What we have here, is a failure to communicate", Throttle started. "I think I've got a sure firing line for this situation", pointing at the goons that were about to attack them from behind.  
"What's that?", Modo asked, sounding like an eager schoolkid.  
"It's tail whippin' time!" and Throttle grabbed his lasers, whirled them around his fingers, crossed his arms and lay them over his shoulder. He shot three times and the buggies from the goons exploded.  
"Ah! Timed, honoured and tested!", Vinnie cheered, pumping his fist in the air. Him and Modo were already back on their bikes.  
"Yeah, here's another!", Modo started. "Let's RIDE!"  
And the mice sped away, back into the fight. Time to nail these goony goons.

They took most of them out, but a few buggies were still following them.  
"So, they're still wanna rock and roll, huh?", Modo asked, looking behind him.  
"I say; let's take them dancing on rumble street", Vinnie answered.  
"Your lead, Vincent!", Throttle smiled. "Shed 'em and shred 'em!"  
They fired their jets and sped forward.  
Throttle drove next to Modo.  
"Operation crazy he?", he asked at the gray furred giant.  
"Modo Maverick's hugging your wing", Modo answered.  
"On my mark", and Throttle pointed his finger into the air. "NOW!"  
Throttle went left and Modo went right. They drove back to each other and crossed each other. The buggies tried to follow them, but of course, that failed and they crashed into each other.  
"They should've looked both ways before crossing", Modo smiled, looking at the goons who were lying unconscious on the ground. They saw Greasepit on his trike driving towards them.  
"Yeah, before crossing The Biker Mice From Mars", Throttle agreed and when Greasepit almost drove between them, they grabbed each others hands. Greasepit crashed against it and flew backwards off his trike.  
"AAOOOWW!" and Vinnie jumped off a sand dune. He fired his laser and the trike exploded.  
"King of the road, coming through!", Vinnie cheered while landing and he drove back to his bro's.  
They high fived and drove back home, happy with another victory. But hey, they were the best after all.

Back at home, Kiwi was pacing through her room. She was so mad at herself. She couldn't believe she almost had kissed Vinnie. Why, why, why? She had a deal with herself. DISTANCE! She let out a scream in frustration. But suddenly, she froze.  
The moment was replaying in her head, over and over again. And she suddenly realized, Vinnie hadn't pushed her away. It was him after all who was looking at her lips. It was him who, maybe, almost kissed her back. Shit. Shit. SHIT!  
She was driving herself crazy. She was seeing ghosts. No way he felt something for her too. That just wasn't possible. She was nothing. And he was, as far as she knew, one of the most good looking mice on Mars. He could get every girl he wanted. They must be standing in line for him, back on Mars. She suddenly heard Throttle's voice in her head.  
' _There was someone, a long time ago… He doesn't fall in love that easily…_ _He just loves the attention…'  
_ ARGH! She grabbed her pillow and threw it against the wall. She needed to calm down. But all these feelings, this insecurity, was driving her crazy. Was he playing with her? Was he messing with her feelings, just because he wanted some attention? DAMMIT.  
She dropped on her bed, her head in her hands. Jesus, Kiwi. Calm down. This isn't you. Since when do you let someone get into your head like that? Come on. Get over it. She sighed. Yeah. She needed to calm down and get her shit together. Jesus, she was acting like a teenager in love. High school drama. Maybe she needed to ask him how he felt…  
She burst out into laughter. Right. Like he was gonna tell her, of all people, how he felt. He never did. He never would. But there was always that nagging feeling of insecurity. He had opened the door for her today. Even if it was for like, 2 seconds before he closed it again, he did opened it. Maybe she needed to have a little patience. Just… let it all go and see where it was gonna take her.  
IN THE GUTTER WITH A BROKEN HEART!  
No. Maybe not. It was worth the risk. Time. They needed time. And she sure hoped it was granted to them.

"Word on the street is that a new theme parks is gonna open its doors today", Kiwi said to the mice during breakfast.  
"A what?", Vinnie asked, his mouth full with pancakes. No more waffles, remember?  
"A theme park. You know, like a big fair. Roller coasters, water rides, a big Ferris wheel, a lot of candy.. No?", she added when she saw the mice looked at her completely clueless.  
"Hmmm… care to find out then?", she asked.  
The mice looked at each other and shrugged.  
"Sure thing, Kiwi ma'am", Modo said.  
"Cool. Let me check where it is", and Kiwi grabbed her phone. But when she saw the name of the park, she frowned.  
"Cheesyland… It's called Cheesyland, guys. That just can't be a coincidence, right?"  
Vinnie almost choked in his pancake. He coughed loudly.  
"Cheesyland?", he managed to squeeze out between coughing, his voice husky.  
Modo clapped him on the back, but as usual, he forgot about his own strength. Vinnie slammed with his head on the table.  
"Whoops! Sorry bro!"  
"Geez, thanks big fella", the white furred mouse squeaked and he took a few deep breaths.  
"No way I'm gonna go to a place that's called Cheesyland. I'm way too cool for that."  
Throttle sighed.  
"You're missing the point here, Vincent. Cheesyland, big cheese, Limburger... He must be up to something. I already thought it was way too quiet after we stopped his sandsuckers…"  
Vinnie's face lit up.  
"Why didn't you say so? Let's go!" and he jumped on his feet. His chair fell on the floor with a bang.  
When he ran past Kiwi, he grabbed her with his tail and lifted her up.  
"Hey! Wait a minute…", but Vinnie quickly set her on the ground, grabbed her hand and dragged her with him to the garage.  
Throttle and Modo looked at each other.  
"Well, I've gotta admit, his enthusiasm is contagious sometimes", Modo smiled and he also jumped on his feet. "Let's ride, bro!" and he followed Vinnie and Kiwi.  
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only adult around here…", Throttle sighed, but with a smile on his face.

After a short drive, they arrived at Cheesyland. The mice stopped their bikes in front of the entrance. A big sign was hanging under the welcoming board, that was having the shape of a big cheese.  
"Free dogs?", Vinnie asked. "Now that's more like it!"  
"Yeah, I could go for a good cheese dog", Kiwi said behind Vinnie.  
The mice gave her a disgust look and moaned. She shook her head. It was like she had suggested to give Limburger a kiss on his lips. They sure knew how to exaggerate.  
"Oh well, sorry I brought it up", Kiwi smiled.  
"Here's something else to leave a bad taste in your mouth, bro's", Throttle said, pointing at a sign. "This place makes our bikes off limits."  
"Ah man, that oughta be a law…", Modo sighed, crossing his arms before his chest.  
"Smells like a mousetrap to me", Throttle said. "With Limburger all over it."  
Vinnie parked his bike and stepped off.  
"A trap, ey? Well, what are we waiting for? Let's scoop it out!" and he walked towards the entrance. "This could be a fun day after all, guys."  
They walked into the park, and Vinnie grabbed a hotdog from a pile that was lying on a plate next to him. He held it in the air.  
"Let's rock… and ride!"

 _One hour later…  
_ "One hotdog too many, Vinnie?", Kiwi asked innocently, looking at the white furred mouse who was hanging with his head over the edge of the cart. But the attraction didn't stop spinning.  
"Uuugh… are we there yet?", Vinnie moaned, but before somebody could answer, he threw up.  
Kiwi shook her head, hoping nobody was walking under the attraction.  
After a few minutes of pure torture (Vinnie's words), the attraction finally stopped spinning and slowly stopped. Vinnie climbed over the edge of the cart and slid down. He landed on the floor.  
"Never… again…", he moaned.  
Kiwi couldn't stop laughing. Throttle and Modo snickered and Modo picked up the miserable feeling white furred mouse of the ground.  
"Come on, little bro. Let's try the haunted house, maybe your stomach can handle that a little bit better", and he dragged Vinnie with him.  
Throttle and Kiwi followed them, Kiwi still laughing so hard, she hardly could walk. Throttle smiled and gently grabbed her arm, so she wouldn't fall. When they reached the haunted house, Modo and Vinnie were already sitting in a cart, Vinnie a little less green under his fur.  
Throttle and Kiwi took place in the cart before them. Once inside the house, scary sounds came out of every corner and suddenly a loud scream. Vinnie squeezed his eyes because of the high tone. It gave him an immediate pounding headache. Great. Just great.  
A woman suddenly flew through the air towards Throttle and Kiwi. Throttle jumped at his feet and punched her. Of course, it wasn't a real woman, but a doll. She broke in half and fell on the floor.  
"Whoops… Force of habit", Throttle chuckled, a little embarrassed.  
Kiwi, who was finally calm again, started laughing again. Honestly, who would have thought that visiting a theme park with three alien mice could be so much fun?

When the ride was done and they walked outside, Modo spotted a shooting range.  
"Be right back, bro's. Oh, and Kiwi ma'am."  
He stepped onto the small stairs that lead to the guns and watched the kids shooting at the targets. The kids weren't bad, but Modo wanted to try. He raised his arm cannon and shot his laser. The back of the shooting range exploded.  
The kids stared at him.  
"Waauuuww! That was so cool!", one of them cheered.  
"Where did you get that gun?", another one asked.  
"I'll buy it for a quarter!", his friend said.  
"Sorry, bro's", Modo laughed, while pulling off his helmet. He wiped a piece of burning wood away that had landed on top of it. "But I'm kinda attached to it."  
The kids stared at his big ears, his snouth, his buck teeth…  
"Woow... "  
"Ride free, little citizens", and Modo walked away, while putting back his helmet on.

Next upt was the roller coaster. The cart, that looked like a huge hotdog and had place for four people, started the long trip up. Vinnie already could feel his stomach turn.  
"I don't think my stomach is gonna like this…", he moaned and let out a burp.  
"Turn your head the other way, would you, Vincent? Think of it as a cycle on tracks", Throttle said, looking over his shoulder.  
"Hey! You're... right…", Vinnie pulled his bandana, still sick to the stomach. "Must be… all in my head…" and he tried not to gag.  
Kiwi, who was sitting next to him, laughed. "Nice to know there's something in there besides ego", she teased him.  
But Vinnie wasn't amused and glared at her.  
"Anyway. These things are perfectly safe", she quickly added.  
"They ain't anymore!"  
Greasepit's voice. He was standing on the top of the track, alongside three goons. But they looked ridiculous. Greasepit in a fairy outfit, one goon in a cheese suit, another one looked like the Easter Bunny and the last one was wearing a pig costume.  
The cart stopped on top of the hill and Greaspit grabbed it.  
"Well, looks who slid in on a oil slick", Throttle smiled, looking at Greasepit who was holding the cart at the front.  
"These times I've got to drop on yous rodents, and I do mean… drop…" and he gestured at the tracks behind him. "Grab them, boys!"  
But Modo had it. He leaned forward and gave Greasepit a head butt. The latter lost his balance and fell down, screaming loudly. That was all the cart needed and slowly, it faced down and started the big drop. The other three goons grabbed the cart, to make sure they wouldn't fall down. Greasepit landed right in the cart too when they drove right under him, so it was one big mess of mice, goons and grease. Oh and Kiwi, who was screaming like she was about to die. Jesus, a roller coaster was already scary enough without four bad guys hanging on your cart. The mice tried to get rid of them, but it was hard because of the sudden turns and twists of the roller coaster.  
"Whoa, this ride has more curves than a pitchers duel!", Vinnie smiled, feeling a lot better already. He pushed away the goon in the pigsuit, who fell down and landed in one of the water rides. Vinnie looked down and laughed.  
"Waoow, talk about taking a major fall!"  
Throttle grabbed the Easter Bunny, swirled him above his head and threw him away.  
"Still going", the mice said in unison, since the ride was still not over. One goon left, and Greasepit was hanging at the back of their cart, screaming loud.  
The track made a sudden turn and since Kiwi wasn't wearing her seatbelt because of this sudden attack, she flew out, along with the goon in the cheese suit.  
Oh. My. God.  
NOT AGAIN!  
"Kiwi!", Vinnie yelled and he jumped up.  
"Vincent, if you please… the double tail trick", Throttle quickly ordered and Modo wrapped his tail around his seat. He stretched his arm and Vinnie grabbed it. The white furred mouse wrapped his tail around Throttle's wrist and Throttle jumped out of the wagon. He grabbed Kiwi with his tail and Modo and Vinnie pulled them up. When they were back into the cart, Vinnie grabbed Kiwi and forced her to look at him.  
"You okay, sweetheart?", he asked, holding her head with both hands.  
Kiwi too a few deep breaths, but she didn't panic like last time.  
"I guess I am…", she whispered.  
"Well, then. Welcome back at the coaster club, doll", Vinnie winked at her.  
"Yeah, great to see you got back on track", Throttle laughed.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes.  
"I am NOT amused!"  
But before anybody could react, they heard Greaspit (who was still hanging at the back of the cart) yelling.  
"Well, maybe this would tickle yous laughbones", and he pointed a blaster at them.  
"You know guys, we had so much fun with that double tail trick…", Throttle said, looking at Vinnie.  
"We could even have more fun with…", and Vinnie looked at Modo.  
"...the triple tail trick!"  
"Too late for tricks mousies! Three fried furballs, coming up!" and Greasepit lay his finger on the trigger.  
But the mice were quicker. They all three lashed out their tails and grabbed the rail. The cart stopped immediately and the back flew up. Vinnie catched Kiwi, but Greasepit wasn't so lucky. He flew away, screaming loudly. The mice watched him fall down, but instead of landing on the floor, he crashed right through it.  
"That's weird…", Throttle frowned.  
Finally, the car stopped and they stepped out with wobbling legs. They walked to the hole in the form of Greasepit and saw him lying on the floor of a big tunnel, unconscious.  
"Haha, Greasepit never looked better, bro's!", Vinnie laughed.  
"Yeah, but the rest of that stuff is looking major ugly", and Throttle pointed at the machines that were digging.  
"Let's take a closer look", Modo suggested.  
"No, no, not now, bro's. We need our bikes and some peace and quiet to do a proper investigation."  
"Yeah, and peace and quiet is about to be in a real short supply", Vinnie said, looking around him. They had drawn to many attention from the visitors at the park, so they were surrounded by curious people, but also goons from Limburger.  
"Let's bail!" and they ran to one of the walls that was surrounding the park.  
Kiwi quickly followed, but when she saw how high it was, she stopped.  
"I can't…", but Vinnie pushed her, forcing her to run further.  
Modo jumped on the wall, followed by Throttle. Vinnie cupped his hands.  
"Come on, sweetheart, no time to waste", he smiled at her.  
The goons opened fire and Kiwi quickly set her foot in his cupped hands. He pushed her up and Throttle catched her. When they were gone, Vinnie also jumped on the wall and turned around to face the goons. He narrowed his eyes.  
"Don't hunt what you can't catch", he said, this time with clenched teeth. But a laser hit the wall and Vinnie fell down (at the good side, at least).  
"Ah man… I hate it when my dramatic exits get screwed up like that…Great advice, Modo, really..."  
He jumped at his feet and followed his bro's and Kiwi. They grabbed the bikes and quickly drove away.

That night, the mice returned. They'd left Kiwi at home, since it was too dangerous for her to tag along. They jumped over the wall with their bikes and drove through the empty park. When they reached the hole in the ground, in the form of Greasepit, they jumped down. Throttle saw before he jumped down, that there was a building standing closeby, in the form of a… bee nest? That must be where Limburger is hiding. When they were inside the tunnel, they looked around.  
"Yep. Looks like all of Limburger's machines are right here", Throttle said. Suddenly, a light went on and almost blinded them.  
"That's right, my esteemed enemies. But you'll forgive me that I don't signe you up for the grand tour." The mice looked behind them and saw Limburger's face on a big screen.  
"Seize those rodents!", he yelled.  
The mice looked back before them and saw goons walking towards them. They jumped off their bikes and a huge fight brooke loose. After a few minutes, all the goons were unconscious and the mice were standing on top of them. Vinnie looked at the screen.  
"Say there, uncle Larry. That's the best you can do?", he asked, his voice low and his eyes narrowed.  
"Well, since you ask so politely… No! This is!", and Limburger grabbed a remote and pushed a button.  
The mice heard a loud noise and quickly jumped on their bikes. But suddenly, there was a robot in the form of a cheese standing before them. It had six very heavy looking guns and the thing was huge.  
The mice pushed their bikes back with their feet, Vinnie smiling uncomfortable.  
"Well eh… sorry I asked…" Maybe he needed to stop with using these lines. It only seemed to make things worse. Not that he really cared in this case.  
The robot opened fire on them and the mice popped a wheelie and quickly drove another way.  
"Imminent annihilation! I live for moments like this!", Vinnie said happily. Modo, who was driving next to him, shook his head.  
"Me, I prefer just to live, so let's get rockin'!"  
"I heard that! Blast that can, bro's!", and Throttle pointed at the big robot, that was standing on their right now. They made a sharp turn to face it and fired their laser. The robot tried to fight back, but the firepower of the mice was too heavy. It lost its balance and fell backwards against a huge, metal pipe. The whole thing broke and the bottom part broke through the wall of the bee nest looking building. Lava streamed out, dripping down in the tunnel, but the a big stream right into the park.  
"Whoops, there she blows!", Throttle chuckled, looking at the lava.  
Goons fled the scene, knowing this was getting way too dangerous now lava was brought into the mix with three Biker Mice.  
The mice stopped in front of the robot, who slowly climbed back on his feet.  
"Uh, we got kinda carried away, huh?", Modo asked, looking at the lava that was streaming into the park.  
"Well, we hit it with our best shot, buddies", Throttle answered.  
"It's coming back for more!", Modo yelled.  
"We gotta put it away before we're all lava lug nuts. HEY! Metalmouth!", and Vinnie whistled on his fingers to get the robot's attention. "Over here!"  
The robot turned around and shot with all his six guns at the same time. The mice turned around and drove away.  
"Well, you've gotta admit", Vinnie said, zigzagging his bike to avoid the shots. "This park does have some exited rides."  
"Yeah, well, I'm ready to get off of this one", Modo breathed.  
"Then let's take this wrenchhead down!", Throttle said.  
They drove further into the tunnel, but when they drove closeby the hole Greasepit had made this afternoon, they saw lava dripping down.  
"Yiaow! I heard it's better to burn down than fade away, but this is crazy!", Vinnie snickered.  
They stopped and Throttle grabbed a grenade. He pulled out the pin and threw it up. It exploded and the edges of the hole were now bent upwards, so the lava couldn't drip down anymore. But the robot started to catch up and they quickly drove further.  
"We've gotta stop that lava, before Chicago can't stand the heat!", Throttle said worried.  
"I always said this town was cooking, but this isn't what I had in mind", Modo agreed.  
"Come on, you motor jammers! It's time to put a damper on this fire!", Vinnie cheered, looking at his bro's.  
"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Vincent, you are so predictable", Throttle smiled, shaking his head. "Let's ROCK…"  
And they revved their bikes, Vinnie firing his jets.  
"... and RIDE!" And Vinnie's bike flew up and crashed through the ceiling of the tunnel.  
"AAAOOWW!" and he landed next to the lava stream. His tires almost caught fire because of the heat.  
"Aaaoow, burning rubber!", and he gained even more speed. He aimed his lasers at the big sign, you know, that one in the form of a big cheese, at the entrance and smiled.  
"I think it's time to bottle up this hot sauce", and he fired. The huge sign fell on the ground and blocked the way for the lava. And since the whole park was surrounded by high walls, Chicago was safe.  
"YES!", Vinnie cheered when he saw his plan had worked. He quickly drove back to the hole in the ground, using his lasers to burn the lava away on his path and jumped back into the tunnel.

Underground, Throttle and Modo were having a hard time to take the robot down.  
"Man. Does that thing never have to reload?", Modo complained.  
"Only one chance, big fella. Crush and crash number three", his bro ordered.  
"You got it!"  
They waited till the robot was out of shots.  
"Ready, big fella?"  
"Let's do it!"  
"NOW!"  
And they turned their bikes and drove straight towards the robot. Throttle took the right, Modo the left. They fired their jets and jumped into the air. They flew towards the big head of the robot and when they past each other, they high fived with the head in the head of the robot exploded and the whole thing went down.  
Modo landed, pulled off his helmet and held it against his chest.  
"Rest in pieces, you metal man", he said solemnly. Throttle stopped next to him.  
"No time for sentiment, Modo. That thing is going critical! It's gonna blow!", he warned, pointing at the robot. Modo quickly put back on his helmet when Vinnie stopped next to them.  
"Oh, you think that's bad? That lava is backing up inside here like water", and he pointed behind him. Lava was leaking back into the tunnel.  
"And we're in the drain!", Modo said.  
"We need to put a hurt on that hot stuff. And I think just how to do it. Yank and flank, now!"  
They drove towards the robot and turned their bikes. Ropes shot out of the back of their bikes and the hooks that were attached to it, grabbed the robot. They hit the accelerator.  
"Get along, little Darling!", Modo laughed.  
"And leave the driving to us!", Vinnie cheered.  
They dragged the robot with them and when it had enough speed, they fired their jets and jumped into the air, cutting loose from it. The robot slid against the pipe where the lava was streaming out and the whole thing exploded. The mice crashed outside through the walls of the bee nest looking building. When they flew past a small window, they saw Limburger staring at them. They waved at him.  
"Tata!", Vinnie laughed.  
Limburger waved back with a dazed look on his face. Shortly after that, the whole park collapsed and because of the rubble and debris, the opening where the lava came out, was now closed. The mice landed their bikes outside the walls. Vinnie looked around him, surprise on his face. What the.. Where did all these people come from? So far quiet.  
Suddenly, a journalist pushed a microphone under their noses.  
"Hey there, biker bombs! You're the new heroes of Chicago! Now that you've saved Chi-town, what are you gonna do?"  
The mice looked at each other.  
"Yeah, what are we gonna do?", Vinnie asked softly.  
"Well, that's simple", Throttle answered. They needed to get out of here as soon as possible.  
"We're gonna ROCK…" and he popped a wheelie. His bro's joined him.  
"... and RIDE!"  
And they drove away, loud singing and whooping.

* * *

Ahhh, We're Going To Cheesyland. Also one of my favorite episodes. Had real fun writing it.  
And this was the first time you guys heard about Cami. What's her story? You'll find out soon enough.

Puhlease review and read free, citizens! ;)  
(Omg, such a bad joke.)


	18. Chapter 17

Thank you so much for the reviews!

Hahaha, straight to the point as alway, Youkai :') Thanks, love it. :D  
I know it was a bad joke, but I had this mood... damn, it was awful. Hyper as hell, bwahaha! Couldn't stop myself.  
And the kissing scene... It was too early. Patience, my dear, patience. :)

Aaaaaanyway, on to the next chapter. Time to find out about Cami.

* * *

 **Chapter seventeen**

His ruby red eyes. His soft white fur.  
 _Sigh._  
She turned on her side.  
His muscular body. His cute buck teeth.  
 _Sigh._  
She turned to her other side.  
That cute, shy smile.  
 _Sigh._  
She turned on her back.  
His unique voice.  
 _Sigh._  
She turned on her belly.  
The way he protected her...

 **ARGH!**

Kiwi's eyes flew open and she stepped out of bed. Sleeping was obviously out of the question right now. With her bathrobe firmly wrapped around her, she walked downstairs. When she entered the kitchen, her heart stopped.  
"MODO!"  
The gray furred giant almost fell off his chair because of her sudden scream.  
"Jesus, you scared the crap out of me, big fella", Kiwi breathed, holding her chest.  
Modo, recovered from the shock, smiled at her.  
"Sorry, Kiwi ma'am. Didn't expect to see you here, at this hour."  
Kiwi looked at the clock. 02.07 pm.  
"Same goes for you", and she opened the fridge and grabbed the milk.  
"You want some warm milk, big guy?", she asked, while taking a small pan out of one of the cupboards.  
Modo looked at her curiously.  
"Milk?"  
Kiwi shook her head with a smile and put on the stove. She poured the milk in the pan and closed the lit.  
"Yeah, ehm… I don't know how to explain this without making it sound weird… It has something to do with cows… Anyway, when I can't sleep, I drink warm milk with honey. It's sweet and comforting."  
Modo thought about it for a second, but then shrugged.  
"Okay. Let's give it a try."  
After a few minutes, Kiwi put two steaming mugs on the table and shoved one of them to Modo. She wrapped her hands around hers and looked at Modo, who was sniffing at the drink suspiciously.  
"It won't kill ya, I promise", Kiwi smiled.  
Modo looked a little embarrassed and took a sip. His eyes widened in surprise.  
"Wow, this is really good!"  
Kiwi smiled at him.  
"I know, right."

There was a silence. Kiwi glanced at Modo through her lashes, pretending that she was staring at her mug. He looked kinda sad, actually.  
"Couldn't sleep?", she asked nonchalant.  
Modo shook his head.  
"No. Those damn nightmares… Being here somehow triggered a trip down on memory lane… and it sure ain't a happy one…"  
"Do you wanna talk about it?"  
Modo stared at his mug. Kiwi waited patiently, but after a few minutes of silence, she decided to help him a little.  
"I eh… Throttle told me you've lost someone… next to your parents… a girl?"  
Modo's hands tightened around his mug. Kiwi lay a hand on his wrist.  
"Easy there, big guy. Before you crush my precious tableware", she said with a wink.  
Modo chuckled.  
"Sorry, Kiwi ma'am. Sometimes I just forget about my own strength…"  
"It's okay. And if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine, Modo. Only when you're ready."  
Modo nodded. Kiwi drank the last of her milk and stood up.  
"I'm gonna go back to bed. Good night, Modo."  
"Her name was C… Cami…", Modo suddenly blurted out.  
Kiwi slowly sat down again and gave him a encouraging smile.  
"Oh momma, this is the first time I say her name out loud since… since she died…"  
Kiwi reached out and took his hand gently.  
"It's a beautiful name, Modo. How was she like?"  
Modo immediately started to smile, a little sad though, but still a smile.  
"She was great. She was the sweetest girl I ever met in my life. And beautiful too. Her fur was gray, not as dark as mine, but almost silver. And she had this shiny black hair and her eyes… oh man, I will never forget her eyes… They were the deepest black... She was tiny, though. She looked fragile. But she wasn't. She was strong. A fighter."  
"How did you guys meet?"  
"She was the girl next door. We grew up together. When we were about sixteen, our friendship grew out into this beautiful relationship. We were eighteen when we got married."  
Kiwi tried to hide her shock. He was married?! Oh shit…  
Modo didn't saw her reaction, or maybe he just decided to ignore it.  
"We were talking about our future, about how many children we wanted… we just knew we belonged together, ya know? Sometimes you just know it. But then the war started…"  
His face clouded.  
"They came by our house. They did that more often, back then. Before the mice population started to fight back. Before we found out that our own government sold us out. When they crashed into our home, we did everything to cooperate. To make sure that they would leave as soon as possible. But they didn't. They took their time. Cami had a little temper, sometimes. Like I said, she was a fighter. She was so angry that they just crashed into our home, that they were taking everything they wanted… She suddenly exploded. Started to yell at them. Threw things at their heads. I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen…"  
Modo's voice broke, Kiwi could see tears filled his eye that wasn't hidden behind a eye path.  
"Oh Modo, I'm so sorry…", she breathed, tears in her own eyes. She could feel his pain. His sorrow. His misery…  
Modo took a few deep breaths, apparently determined to finish the story now he had started it. But Kiwi already had a nagging feeling how this was gonna end.  
"They grabbed us. I tried to protect her, but they were too strong. They killed her right in front of me… Right before my eyes. Slid her throat, like it was nothing… I can still see the look in her eyes. Fear. But also rebellious. Like she tried to tell me not to give up. That me and the rest of the mice population shouldn't be living in fear. That we needed to fight them. Anyway, after that, they just left me with her. Told me this was message. Don't stand up. Do as we say. Then you'll live. Right... They just walked out the door, like nothing had happened. Joking at each other about what they had done. Like it was nothing. Like they just didn't destroy my whole life..."  
He was crying now. Poor guy. Kiwi stood up and walked over to him. She sat down next to him and pulled him in her arms. As far as that was possible, since the guy was huge. Her hands couldn't even touch each other behind his back. But she didn't care.  
"I just don't know what to say… I'm so sorry, Modo. God…", and her voice broke.  
Tears streamed over her face and for a moment, they both were crying in each others arms. But then, Modo slowly untangled himself. He looked at Kiwi and wiped away her tears.  
"I didn't mean to make you cry, Kiwi ma'am. It makes me sad… Even more sad."  
Kiwi gave him a sad smile and rubbed his cheek. Just like Throttle, Modo felt like a big brother to her.  
"That look in her eyes haunts me every night. I just wished I could've saved her... "  
"There was nothing you could do, Modo. I know you would've if it was possible…"  
"Deep down, I know… But still... "  
Kiwi took a few deep breaths to calm down again.  
"What happened after?"  
"Throttle found me in my home. I was sitting there for three days, with Cami's body in my arms. Me and Throttle were already friends back then. We knew each other from school. He was worried about me, so he came to check if I was okay… Well, obviously I wasn't. He told me about a mouse he had heard of. His name was Stoker. He was planning to fight against the Plutarkians, since the army didn't. I immediately took a decision. I was gonna fight. Cami would've wanted that. I just knew. I needed to make sure she didn't die in vain. So, we buried Cami in the garden, I walked out of my house and never looked back. Throttle and I went to meet this Stoker guy and helped him to set up the resistance, later called the Freedom Fighters. We met Vinnie who joined the group not long after us. And the rest is history."  
Kiwi was loss at words. She had lost her parents. She knew how it felt to see someone you deeply loved die right in front of your eyes. It was devastating. Something you never was gonna be able to forget. She looked at Modo and he looked back with understanding.  
"I know you know how it feels, Kiwi ma'am. Maybe that's the reason I tell you all this. I've never talked about it before. I just couldn't. But I've gotta admit, it somehow feels good to talk about her. To tell someone what a wonderful woman she was."  
"I'm glad you told me. It's a shame I never got the chance to meet her. She sounds amazing."  
"She was…"  
A silence.  
"So, you couldn't sleep either… also haunted by nightmares?", Modo asked.  
Kiwi breathed in sharply and she could feel her cheeks turn red. Nightmares, not really… A certain, white furred mouse… Yeah… But she wasn't ready to tell Modo. Not yet.  
"Eh, yeah. Sorta…", she stuttered and quickly stood up.  
"I'm gonna go back to bed. Thanks for telling me this, Modo. I really appreciate it. I just wish I could open up like you did, but I just can't. I'm sorry, it's not you, it's me. This sounds like a total cliche, I know, but it's true. I…", but Modo interrupted her.  
"It's okay, Kiwi ma'am. It really is. Take your time. It took me almost ten years. Go to sleep."  
Kiwi suddenly felt the urge to cry again, but she swallowed and managed to squeeze out a good night before she almost ran upstairs. She jumped in bed and opened the drawer from her nightstand. Failure again. But everything was just overwhelming her. Modo's story, the loss of her parents, her feelings for Vinnie where she still had no idea what to do with… She swallowed two pills and crawled under her blanket, tears in her eyes. But slowly, she could feel the calming effect of the pills. And finally, she could sleep.

"Will you assure me, my dear Karbunkle, are you entirely certain that this scheme will succeed?", Limburger asked. Karbunkle, who was standing next to a big wagon full with explosives, nodded.  
"Absolutely, my mozzarella magnificence. We simply send this car full with explosives into the very heart of that mountain", and he pointed in the distance.  
The cart was standing on a rail and the long track ended in the mountain.  
"Then, when it explodes… BOOM!", Karbunkle suddenly yelled.  
Limburger almost fell down of the cliff he was standing on, so shocked at the sudden noise.  
Karbunkle was laughing maniacally and grabbed a remote. He pushed a button and another machine went on.  
"All the fragments get sucked up by this giant vacuum and send through the transport device. Right into space, and ready to be delivered to Plutark!"  
Limburger grabbed his mask that was sucked off his head because of the power of the big vacuum. Karbunkle quickly turned it off. Limburger put his mask back on.  
"Excellent. Then, when I give the word… Muawahaha… It's showtime!"  
"Speaking of showtime!" a low voice rumbled, and three light beams suddenly shined on Limburger.  
"We got the big cheese in the spotlight", a husky voice followed.  
"Yeaahhh, and now showtime… is gonna be party time!", a high voice cheered happily.  
"Oh, it's party time, alright, you wretched rodents. My party…", Limburger yelled angrily and put on the timer on the cart. 60 seconds… 59... 58…  
"I've planned a big blow out for this evening", and Limburger grabbed a gun and fired at the brakes of the car. The car slowly came into movement.  
"And you, meddling mice, just became the uninvited guests of honor…"  
The mice sighed and looked at the car that was starting his ride on the long track.  
"That slimy sewer stink thinks he's gonna blow this whole mountain", Vinnie growled, pushing his bike back with his feet.  
"With us along for the ride", Modo agreed, also pushing his bike back.  
"Never gonna happen, bro's", Throttle said and looked at his bro's when they were standing close to the wall behind them. "Bail and whale, manoeuvre number twelve. Let's ROCK…"  
They revved their engines, closed their visors and high fived.  
"... and RIDE!"

They popped a wheelie, sped forward and jumped off the plateau they were standing on. When they landed, they raced towards the cart that was still on the track. But suddenly, laserfire hit the floor in front of their bikes. Throttle looked up and saw goons coming their way.  
"Big fella, derail that dynamite. Vinnie and I will stop these stinkfaces", and he pointed at the goons.  
"AAAOOOWWW, let's whip tail!", Vinnie howled and drove straight into chaos.  
Throttle followed him and Modo turned his bike and drove towards the cart. When he was close, he jumped on the rail and followed it.  
"You deserve a break today!", he yelled and fired with his armcannon at the wheels. The last two wheels exploded, but it didn't stop the car. Yet. Modo was about to shoot again, when a laserfire hit his bike and he lost control. He flew off and landed right in the wagon.  
Throttle saw it happen. "MODO!"  
Modo's head popped up out of the pile of explosives and he looked around him.  
"Uh oh…"

Meanwhile, Vinnie took care of a couple of goons, but then he saw Modo standing in the wagon, the big explosion with the timer on it under his arm. He was standing with both feet on the edge of the wagon, but he had a hard time to keep his balance.  
Vinnie catched up, shaking his head in annoyance.  
"Oh man, no fair! I do all the cool daredevil stuff around here!", he yelled.  
Modo, still having a hard time to keep his balance, rolled his eyes.  
"Oh yeah? Well, then how about you take my place and I'll be you?!", he yelled, also agitated. He suddenly lost his balance and fell back into the car. "WOW!"  
Vinnie laughed and looked into his mouse shaped mirror. "You wish", winking at himself. "After all, there's only one Vinnie the genius", and he hit the brakes. The goons that were driving behind him, weren't prepared for that and they flew past him. At that point, Vinnie stretched his arms and the goons slammed against them. They flew out of their buggie and landed dazed on the ground.

Modo was still having a hard time getting out of the driving cart, when a goon tried to fire on him. But suddenly, two feet at each side kicked against his head and stopped him.  
"Let's ride", Throttle sighed and he and Vinnie drove towards Modo.  
"Any time, bro's…", Modo said, still not able to escape. "I don't think defusing bombs is my cup of rootbeer…"  
Vinnie and Throttle were still followed by one goon and Greasepit on his trike and Vinnie looked in his mirror. "What do you say…. Grease crusher number seven?"  
Throttle laughed. "Go for it!"  
Vinnie pushed a button on his bike and two rockets came out of the back of his bike. They exploded and Greasepit flew into the air with his trike, the goon just crashed into the crater. Throttle and Vinnie both shot a rope out of the back of their bikes. Throttle catched Greasepit and Vinnie the trike. They revved their bikes and sped forward. Suddenly, Throttle turned his bike and watched how Greasepit was flying towards them. The cart drove past him.  
"Modo! Bail!"  
"Ah shit, I was just starting to get good at this job."  
Vinnie also turned his bike and stopped next to his tan furred bro, seeing the trike coming straight at them.  
The car drove into a looping and Modo finally could jump out of it.  
At the same time, Vinnie grabbed Throttle and pushed him down. Greasepit and the trike flew over their head, still attached at the ropes. Vinnie's bike cut the rope loose and the trike crashed against the cart. It flew out of the looping and landed straight into the transport device, along with the trike. Greasepit got pulled back, since he was still attached at the rope. He landed on the floor and oil splashed against Vinnie and Throttle. Modo landed right on top of him.  
Vinnie and Throttle were leaning against their bikes and Modo joined them, oil over his whole body.  
"Yuck. Oh man, I hate grease crusher number seven", he sighed.  
His bro's laughed. Suddenly, the car with explosives, now high in space, exploded.  
"Oehhh, nothing like a righteous firework display, 'ey bro's?", Vinnie cheered, looking at his bro's.  
"Yeah, especially when it means sparks are gonna fly at big cheese central", Modo agreed and they slammed their fists together.  
"Let's go home, guys."

The next day, the mice were taking a drive through the city. Kiwi was sitting behind Vinnie. When they drove past LP, they saw a huge sign hanging.  
"Wahahaa, did you check out that 'for sale' sign on Limburger Tower?", Vinnie laughed, pointing at the building.  
"Yeah, makes that building look a whole lot better, doesn't it?", Throttle chuckled.  
"You don't think old fish face is having money trouble lately, now do you?", Modo asked, also with a smile on his face.  
"Oh, I don't know, bro's. But I do know this; if the big cheese is having trouble, there's only one thing to do."  
Kiwi looked at him suspiciously.  
"Yeah, and that would be..?", she asked, wrapping her arms closer around Vinnie. You never know what was next with these macho mice.  
"Party, party, PARTY!", they cheered, raising their fists.  
Kiwi smiled. Ah. That wasn't that bad. As long Vinnie kept both his tires on the ground, she would live.  
"Alright, party it is then. And what do you guys have in mind?", she asked.  
"Rootbeer. Dogs. Music...", Modo summed up.  
"... a pretty lady…", Vinnie added, looking behind him with a smile and he winked at Kiwi.  
Her head immediately exploded.  
"O-o-okay, so, let's go back home and make it happen, guys", Kiwi quickly said, still blushing.  
They all agreed. Vinnie wrapped his tail a little closer around her and squeezed softly. She squeezed back with her arms, laying her head against his back. She loved their secret, little signs that nobody else noticed. She lay her hand flat against his stomach, feeling his strong abs through his fur. Vinnie took a deep breath and lay his hand for a moment on hers, before he quickly grabbed his handlebar again. Kiwi could see his face in his mirror and she saw him smiling, a misschievous spark in his eyes. His lips were curled into that arrogant, crooked smile and she suddenly felt a burning desire. Oh shit. She quickly pulled back her hand and created a little distance between them, as far as that was possible on a bike. How long was she gonna take this? How long was it gonna take before she couldn't hold herself back anymore and she would jump on him? Her heart was racing and she was almost glad when she saw they were back home. She jumped off his bike before Vinnie even stopped completely and she ran towards the kitchen.  
"I'm gonna look if we have enough food!", she yelled before she disappeared into the house.  
Vinnie shook his head and he couldn't stop smiling. Throttle and Modo looked at him, eyebrows lifted.  
"Care to share what's so funny, little bro?", Modo asked. Vinnie immediately stopped smiling and jumped off his bike.  
"Nothing, bro's. Come on." And he walked towards the kitchen.  
Modo shook his head.  
"I wonder when he's gonna see what we all see here… Is he really that blind?", he sighed.  
"Oh, he knows. Believe me…", Throttle said, rubbing his chin.  
He just hoped Vinnie wasn't gonna hurt Kiwi in this whole process. Of course, he knew his bro cared. He knew he was falling head over heels for Kiwi. But, unfortunately, the tan furred mouse also knew Vinnie's reputation on Mars. There was a period that his younger bro made use of his charms on regular bases, leaving the girl behind with a broken heart. Throttle was almost certain that it was different this time. But still… Yeah. The leader took a decision. It was time to talk to Vinnie about this whole situation. Not now, but later. He sighed. That wasn't gonna be easy. But he was their leader after all. And even if he wasn't in love with Kiwi, he deeply cared about her. She was like a sister to him. He loved her, in a family way. So no way he was gonna watch someone hurting her. She belonged to the family now. And he always did everything he could to protect his family. Even if that meant he needed to talk to the most stubborn mouse in the universe. A stubborn mouse, who never talked about his feelings.  
"I will talk to him sometime, big fella", he said to his gray furred bro, who also looked a little worried.  
Modo snorted.  
"Yeah well, good luck with that", and he walked away, shaking his head.  
"I know", Throttle sighed and followed him. Oh man… the perks of being a leader…

Vinnie pushed a button on his bike and fired his laser at the hotdog Kiwi was holding in the air on a skewer. After a few seconds, the thing was completely cooked and she put it in a bun.  
"Next", she giggled and Vinnie fired again.  
They were sitting in the garage (the mice on their bikes), since it was still too cold to sit outside. Kiwi had grabbed the bbq, but the mice didn't had the patience for that. So, Vinnie suggested to try this and it worked surprisingly good. Loud music was heard out of Modo's speakers.  
"Yeah, kicking back", Modo chuckled.  
"Tasteful rootbeer", Vinnie added, waving with his can.  
"Listening to some righteous tunes…", Throttle smiled while catching a hotdog.  
"Hmmmm… Those hotdogs smell great!", Modo breathed, but when he took a bite, he suddenly smelled something else. He quickly swallowed. "Oh ugh!"  
Kiwi turned around to see why he was suddenly complaining about her cooking, but Throttle waved with his hand in front of his face.  
"Yeah, smells like trouble…"  
Vinnie, who was lying on his bike with his hands folded under him, sniffed. He just wished he hadn't.  
"Ugh! Smells more like Limburger to me", he moaned, pinching his nose.  
"We better scoop this out", Throttle said, snatching his helmet with his tail.  
"Right with ya, Throttle", Vinnie agreed, also pulling on his helmet.  
"Yeah, like they say in the movies; all for one!", and Modo closed his visor.  
They revved their bikes and before Kiwi even could respond, they drove out of the garage. She looked at the hotdogs and then back outside. Then she shrugged. Ah well. More for her.

The mice followed the smell and when they were outside town, they saw the source. It was Greasepit on his trike (how many did he own anyway?), with a caravan behind him. Vinnie fired his laser and the caravan rocked, but held.  
Suddenly, Limburger just broke through the roof, a gun in his hand and a very angry look on his face. He opened fire at the mice.  
"Wow!", Modo yelled, avoiding the shots.  
"Uh oh. Looks like the big cheese needs a refreshing course in road courtesy…", Throttle said.  
Vinnie suddenly sped forward and pushed a button on his bike.  
"Yeah! And I got lesson one right here!" and his cannon popped out.  
Throttle also gained speed and caught up with his bro to stop him.  
"Vincent, not…" BAM. A rocket flew through the air. "...here…There's a tree in the way…", Throttle sighed when he saw the tree exploding and falling on the road.  
"Whoops", Vinnie chuckled a little embarrassed.  
They jumped over the tree and stopped. Throttle looked over his shoulder.  
"You know, we can't just leave it there…"  
"Could cause an accident", Modo agreed.  
Vinnie, on the other hand, did not.  
"GUYS! It's gonna take hours to cut it up and haul it away…", he moaned.  
"We got no choice, bro. Responsible citizenship. It means you've gotta cut it up…"  
Vinnie stared at him at first, but then a mischievous smile appeared on his face. While Throttle still was telling them how they were gonna handle this, Vinnie pushed a button and a rocket came out of the back of his bike. The whole tree exploded into a million pieces.  
"...OR we could just let old Paul Bunyan over there handle it…", Throttle sighed, holding his arms above his head to protect himself for the pieces tree that was raining down on them.  
Vinnie smirked.  
"Well hey! It worked, didn't it?"  
"Uh, wow, bro's! Check it out!", Modo suddenly yelled to get their attention. He pointed at Limburger, who was standing on a plateau of rocks, waving at them.  
"Greetings, you bucktooth buffoons! There's someone I'd like you to meet…"  
"Oh man… I hate it when he says that…", Throttle sighed.  
A alien looking person with a pink skin, big glasses, skinny build and the most bizarre; four arms, showed up next to him. The two arms that were growing out of her side, since it was obvious she was female, were holding a drill.  
"Stone Cutter, I'd like to present; the Biker Mice From Mars. They're very into… heavy rock…Why don't you help them getting deeply into it?", and he laughed evilly. Vinnie rolled his eyes. Honestly...  
"As in… permanently…", Limburger finished, still smiling.  
"What a smashing idea!", SC said, and she smashed her drill into the ground. A huge part of the plateau collapsed, causing a avalanche of stones coming right at the mice.  
"Uh oh…", Modo squeaked.  
"Hate to say it, bro's…", Vinnie breathed.  
"But this is as serious rumble…"  
"Farewell, Biker Mice! While you enjoy the scenery from underneath, I will be meeting with Mount Rushmore…" and Limburger jumped into his caravan and drove away, along with SC.

The mice were staring at avalanche that was coming closer and closer.  
"Uhm.. Do we got a manoeuvre for this one, bro's?", Modo asked.  
"Oh yeah! Sure! It's called… RUN!", Vinnie yelled and they turned around.  
They hit the accelerator and fled into the bushes. But because of the trees, it was impossible to drive at full speed.  
"It's gaining on us!", Modo yelled, looking behind him. When he looked back forward, he quickly ducked for a branch. "WOW!"  
"Too many players on the field!" Vinnie was avoiding trees, branches and everything that came on his path, but he lost a lot of speed because of that.  
"Sky book, bro's! It's our only chance!", Throttle yelled and they jumped off their bikes.  
Throttle and Modo grabbed a branch with their hands, but Vinnie missed. He almost fell down again, but quickly wrapped his tail around the branch, making him hanging upside down. Right on time. The stones thundered past under them. After a while, it stopped and there was a deadly silence.  
"Man, that was close", Throttle finally said to break it.  
"Yeah! Made my fur turn gray!", Modo breathed.  
"It was already gray!", Vinnie gasped, still a little out of breath because of the whole thing.  
"Well, grayer than!"  
Suddenly, they heard the sound of an engine and saw Kiwi's car stopping closeby. She stepped out of the car and burst out into laughter.  
"Guys, guys, guys! It's not tail wrapping time, it's tail whipping time!", she giggled, looking at Vinnie.  
"Hey! Hahaha! We're just hanging out!", he joked, winking at her.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but still with a smile on her face.  
"Funny… Where's Limburger?"  
"Hmm? Oh eh, he's going after some place called eh… Mount Rushmore?", Throttle answered nonchalant.  
"Mount Rushmore? Well, then you can't stay here and play Tarzan all day! You gotta get moving!"  
"The lady's right, bro's" and Throttle jumped down. "Let's go!"  
"What's Mount Rushmore?", Modo asked, also jumping down.  
Vinnie unwrapped his tail, made a somersault and landed smoothly on the ground.  
"Now the bigger question is; who's Tarzan?", he asked, rubbing his chin.  
Kiwi giggled, but then turned serious again.  
"Mount Rushmore is a national monument. Statues of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt carved into a mountain."  
"Statues of who?", Vinnie asked, still at loss.  
"The American Presidents. Important leaders of the free world", Kiwi answered patiently.  
"Oh yeah, you know, the guys on the dollar bill!", Modo suddenly said, looking at Vinnie.  
Finally, the white furred mouse catched on.  
"Oh! You mean those green dudes?"  
Kiwi laughed.  
"Yeah, Vinnie. That's exactly who I mean."  
"How did you know we were here?", Throttle asked.  
"Well, your bikes send me a pitstop signal. Thought it was you guys?", Kiwi asked, a little surprised.  
"Ehm no…"  
They all looked at the bikes, who were lying between the rocks.  
"Ah man… We do got a serious pit stop to deal with…", Throttle sighed.  
"Well, by the looks of things, your bikes already knew what was gonna happen. I brought some tools with me, so you can patch them up for now."  
"Ah, sweetheart, what should we do without you?", Vinnie smiled and wrapped a arm around her.  
She looked up to him, her eyes twinkling.  
"You would be nothing without me…"  
"I know…", Vinnie whispered.  
Throttle and Modo looked at each other and the gray furred giant cleared his throat.  
"Are we still talking about the bikes, or…", he chuckled.  
Vinnie quickly let Kiwi go. Kiwi's head, again as red as a tomato, opened her car.  
"Of course! What else?" and she grabbed the tools.  
"Come on, guys, get to work. You need to do what you do best. Stop Limburger."  
Vinnie smiled. Was this girl on fire, or what?

"I think you better leave your car here and ride with us. You need to show us the way to Mount Rushmore", Modo said. Kiwi nodded and climbed on Vinnie's bike. They all put their helmets on. It was already night, since the pit stop had cost a lot of time.  
"Let's get to it. Limburger got a huge head start", Kiwi said, wrapping her arms around Vinnie's waist.  
"Well yeah, but you've never seen one of these bikes going flat out before, right?", Vinnie asked, revving his engine and looking over his shoulder.  
Kiwi saw the teasing smile, the mischievous glance in his eyes…  
"Uh… Do I want to?", she asked, but before she even finished her sentence, Vinnie pushed a button and his bike sped forward like it was fired by a katapult. Kiwi opened her mouth and screamed. It felt as if she was sitting in a roller coaster and she was convinced she left her stomach by her car.  
Vinnie laughed out loud, only speeding up more and more. Kiwi stopped screaming for a moment, to catch her breath, but jesus, he was still speeding up. These bikes just weren't normal. She suddenly saw a huge cliff and that they were driving straight to it.  
Oh.  
My.  
God.  
Vinnie pulled back his handlebars and suddenly, they flew through the air.  
"AAAOOWW, nothing better than a fast bike to get a girls attention!", he cheered.  
Kiwi just held him tightly, so tightly, she was surprised he was even able to breath. Jesus. Holy shit. She was gonna die.

She didn't die, though. After driving for a while, they came around a corner and the sun just came up again.  
"Sunrise guys. Let's just hope we're on time…", and Kiwi looked over Vinnie's shoulder. Again, a scream escaped her mouth.  
Vinnie squeezed his eyes, since she was yelling next to his head.  
"AU!, and he hit the brakes, shaking his head. His bro's stopped too. They looked at were Kiwi was staring at. Four human heads, carved out into rocks. Next to it…  
"Holy cow…", Modo snickered.  
"Holy fish is more like it, sweetheart", Vinnie said, while opening his visor.  
"It's horrible!", Kiwi yelled out. "Who is it?"  
"Can't be a president. He ain't green", Vinnie chuckled.  
"That, Kiwi, is his high hideous himself. The Plutarkian High Chermain...", Throttle answered. _(A/N: not sure if I spelled this right, please correct me if I'm wrong.)  
_ They all looked at the mountain. A huge fish head was carved out, next to the original residents of the mountain.  
Kiwi stepped off Vinnie's bike.  
"Go get him. Now!", she yelled angry. Vinnie looked at her curiously.  
"What's gotten under your skin all of a sudden, doll?"  
"Limburger is messing with my country. THIS is a monument. How DARE he to ruin it like this?", she snorted between clenched teeth.  
"Okaaay… Well, anything you say, sweetheart", and Vinnie revved his bike. "Come on, bro's. Let's stop this freakshow."  
And they drove towards Limburger. Vinnie fired his laser next to Limburger's feet to get his attention. They stopped closeby him.  
"Your order just got canceled, cheesebreath", Throttle said.  
"Yeah, we're strictly take out now", Vinnie added.  
"And you're the one we're taking out", Modo finished, his eye glowing red.  
Limburger, with SC, Karbunkle and Greasepit next to him, looked at them.  
"How typical. Bury them!"  
"Yeah, yeah. I knows the routines", Greasepit said, driving past his boss on his trike.  
"Vincent, you stop that greasedump. Modo and I will take care of the pretty lady", Throttle ordered, meaning Stone Cutter.  
Vinnie saluted and revved his bike. Normally, he would've disagreed with this order. He was the pretty one in the group after all. But this was one woman he gladly handed over to his bro's. He saw Greasepit coming straight at him. The white furred mouse popped a wheelie and drove away.  
"Come here, kitty kitty kitty!", he purred, looking in his mirror if Greasepit took the bait. Of course he did. That guy was stupid, alright. Vinnie gained speed, jumped in the air and turned his bike. He hit the accelerator and Greasepit suddenly realised what the white furred mouse had in mind. He opened his mouth and a scream came out, because maybe he was stupid, he sure knew what was next. And he knew there was nothing he could do to avoid it. Vinnie hit the brakes and turned his bike. Greasepit slammed against his rear tire and flew away, loud screaming.  
"Oh yeah!", Vinnie cheered, waving at him.

Meanwhile, Throttle and Modo were having their hands full with SC. She was standing in the middle and the two bro's were circling around her. She slammed her drill in the ground right before Modo's front tire, but he popped a wheelie to avoid the crash. She tried the same with Throttle, but he also dodged the attack.  
"Man, this gal got one pounding beat", Throttle sighed, looking at his bro.  
"Well then, I'm gonna ask her to dance!", Modo said and drove towards the weird looking female. When he was halfway, he jumped off his bike and wanted to grab her, but she ducked. Modo flew over her and landed hard on the ground.  
"You foolish man!"  
Modo ended up on his back and scratched behind his head.  
"Well, I didn't mean to fall for her that fast", he said, looking at her coming closer to him. She raised her drill.  
"Oh momma… Guess this wasn't such a good idea after all… She's gonna leave me flat!" and the gray furred mouse tried to crawl backwards.  
Throttle saw what happened and drove towards Modo.  
"Nobody smashes my bro!" and he looked behind him when he heard Vinnie's engine.  
"Vinnie! Cover me!"  
"No problemo!" and Vinnie fired his laser and shot the drill out of SC's hands, while Throttle flew past her and grabbed Modo.  
The drill landed on Mount Rushmore and started to drill.  
"Oh dear… this looks bad…", SC sighed. Then, she screamed and tried to run away, but falling rocks buried her. The mountain cracked, but thankfully, only the head of the High Chermain came down and fell into the transporter that was standing at the bottom. Well, for the first time in months, Limburger had a small victory. The big fish and Karbunkle tried to run away, but a big rock landed on them, smashing them into the ground.

Vinnie picked up Kiwi and they looked one more time at Mount Rushmore.  
"Well, saved the day again", Throttle smiled.  
"And had a good time doing it", Modo agreed.  
"Yeah, who says national monuments are boring?", Vinnie laughed happily.  
"And just in time for breakfast", Throttle nodded. "Hey, what about we go grab some dogs?"  
Kiwi stuck out her tongue.  
"Hotdogs in the morning… Ugh…"  
The mice laughed and popped a wheelie.  
"Ride free, citizens!"

* * *

Poor Modo.  
More details about the past of the mice and Kiwi will come further in the story.  
We're approaching Back To Mars, a perfect oppertunity for flash back city.

Please review! :)


	19. Chapter 18

Thanks for the reviews and thanks, LadyDaisys for telling me how to spell it right :)

* * *

 **Chapter eighteen**

"Vinnie, we need to talk", Throttle said, walking over to his white furred bro.  
Vinnie, who was chilling on the couch in the guest house, looked up with immediately a suspicious look on his face.  
"About what?", he asked, his eyes narrowed.  
It had been a few days since they'd stopped Limburger at Mount Rushmore and Throttle had waited so they all could take a little rest. Because he knew this was gonna cause problems. And he had waited till Kiwi was out, since he didn't want her to hear any of this conversation. She just left to do some groceries, so Throttle knew they had about a hour before she would come back. Modo was lying on the other couch, reading a James Bomb book. The big guy had decided to not interfere with the conversation, unless it was needed. So, he kept on reading, but with one ear pricked into Vinnie's and Throttle's direction.  
The tan furred mouse dropped on the couch next to Vinnie.  
"About Kiwi."  
"What about her?" Vinnie sat up straight, the tip of his tail twitching. He looked at the door and back at Throttle. The latter saw it.  
"You're not going anywhere, Vincent. I want to know what is going on between you guys."  
"There is nothing going on between us", Vinnie growled, immediately in his defence.  
Throttle sighed.  
"Drop the act, bro. We all know there's something up between you guys."  
"Let's just say there is, why do you wanna know?"  
"Because I want to make sure you're not gonna hurt her."  
"And why would I do that?"  
"You know why."

Vinnie cracked his fingers, one by one. Throttle studied him carefully, not knowing what the white furred mouse was gonna do next.  
"Is this because you like her?", Vinnie suddenly asked, his tail lashing through the air. Throttle looked confused.  
"What? No!"  
"Oh no, that's right… You still not over Carbine…", Vinnie said slowly.  
Throttle clenched his fists, but tried to remain calm. He knew Vinnie's tactic. He always used it when you wanted something from him. Turning the tables around, saying mean stuff to make you angry, so he'd be left alone. It was all too familiar.  
"Why are you always acting like this, bro? All I wanna know, no, let me rephrase that; all I want YOU to know, is that if you hurt her, if you use her whatsoever, if you break her heart… well, then you have to deal with me. You got that?"  
Shit. Again, he fell for the old trick. He noticed he had raised his voice.  
Vinnie glared at him.  
"You mean like Carbine broke your heart? And nobody's allowed to say anything about that! But when it comes to me, everybody's suddenly allowed to talk about stuff I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT!" He yelled the last part angrily.  
Throttle shook his head. But he wasn't gonna give up. No, if you start something, you finish it. And he needed Vinnie's promise. Because he knew, that if the white furred mouse made a promise, he usually never broke it.  
"Vinnie, I'm not asking how you feel, I'm not asking you about what happened to you that makes you react like this, I'm not asking why you can't talk about your feelings… All I want is that you promise me you will treat Kiwi with respect."  
Vinnie studied Throttle's face, still suspecting this was a trap. It wouldn't be the first time. His bro's always asked him about stuff he didn't wanna talk about.  
He jumped at his feet and looked down on Throttle.  
"I would never… EVER do anything to hurt her. And you should know that by now. You know me long enough. Bro."  
And he marched outside, closing the door with a loud bang. The photo that was hanging on the wall next to the door, fell down and the glass shattered. They heard his bike leaving. Modo looked at Throttle.  
"Well... that went well", he said drily.  
"Yeah. At least the house is still standing…"  
"I believe him. You?"  
"Yeah. The look in his eyes… Man… I almost feel guilty. But at least we know now…", Throttle sighed, staring at the floor. The look in Vinnie's eyes had caught him off guard. He had hurt his bro. Well, it did confirm one thing; his younger bro was in love. Deeply. Oh man… This maybe could get really complicated. But he decided not to interfere for a while. Time would tell how this was gonna work out.

Throttle, Modo and Kiwi were sitting at the table, ready for diner. Vinnie was nowhere to be found. Kiwi looked at Throttle, her arms crossed before her chest.  
"Where is he, Throttle?"  
She had asked him this question like twenty times now, but Throttle had refused to answer it. But this was getting ridiculous.  
"We had a little argument, okay? I didn't want to involve you, so that's why I didn't told ya, babe. But I had though he'd be back by now."  
"Oh… are you okay?", she asked him, suddenly worried. He smiled at her. She was such a sweet girl. Always worried about them.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. He will come back, Kiwi. He always does."  
Kiwi nodded.  
"I know. So, what was the whole argument about?"  
"About you."  
Vinnie's voice. They all turned their heads to the door opening, where Vinnie was leaning against the doorway. Throttle gave him a warning look.  
"What?", Kiwi asked, confused.  
Vinnie sat down and grabbed a few hotdogs.  
"Nothing major, sweetheart. Just a few things about your safety. Forget it", and he stuffed a hotdog in his mouth.  
Modo and Throttle shared a quick look.  
Kiwi was looking at them, one by one. There was more to it. She felt it. She saw it. But she decided to let it slip for now.  
"Where did you go?", she asked at Vinnie, who shrugged.  
"Just cruising through the city."  
She studied him. He was upset, she could tell. But he tried to hide it. What happened between them while she was gone? Well, one thing was for sure; now wasn't the time to find out. Maybe later.

The next day, Vinnie took a few deep breaths. Normally, he never came back on a argument, but he was feeling bad about this one. Throttle did mean well and he just, as always, said things he didn't want to say. Sometimes he just didn't understand himself. Anyway. Time to set things straight. He walked over to his leader, who was sitting outside at the same picnic table he and Kiwi almost had kissed the other day.  
"Ehm… Throttle?", Vinnie asked hesitantly.  
Throttle looked up and saw his younger bro standing next to him, his ears a little drooped and clearly not at ease.  
"Yeah, Vinnie?"  
"I eh… well… I just wanted to say… ahum… you know… about yesterday? I eh... ", Vinnie stuttered. Come on, you stupid mouse. Just say it. It won't hurt ya.  
"I'm sorry…" There ya go. That wasn't so hard, right?  
Throttle tried to hide his surprise. This was new, allright.  
"It's okay, Vin. I'm sorry too. A little trust won't hurt anybody, I guess. I know you care about her. And I should've known you will never do anything to hurt her…"  
Vinnie slowly sat down. He suddenly felt this weird urge to talk. He studied his nails.  
"You're right, you know", he finally said, avoiding to look at his older bro and best friend.  
"About what?"  
"There is something going on between us. Not sure what, though...But you have my word, okay? I will never do anything to hurt her. I promise."  
"I know, little bro. I know." Throttle punched him on the arm and Vinnie gave him a small smile.  
"I'm trying to keep my distance, but it's hard. Not sure how long I'm gonna be able to do that…", the white furred mouse sighed.  
Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"You deserve a shot of happiness, you know that, right?"  
"Yeah, well… The last time it didn't end that well…"  
Harley.  
"It wasn't your fault, Vincent."  
"Maybe not... "  
Vinnie jumped at his feet, suddenly feeling a bit panicked.  
"Okay, enough with the mushy talk. I'm gonna go… ehm… I don't know. I'm just gonna go."  
Throttle smiled while he watched his younger bro storm back inside, shaking his head. Crazy mouse. Being here on Earth did something to all of them. Suddenly, they had time to think. To feel. Instead of fighting everyday, every hour, every minute. They had been through a lot, but there just wasn't enough time to process it. They lost a lot of loved ones, but there just wasn't enough time to grieve. They got wounded, badly, but there was not enough time to heal. Him and Modo tried to accept it and kept telling themselves these things cost time. But in Vinnie's case; he never had giving himself the time to process everything that had happened to him. And he certainly couldn't accept it. Things Throttle even didn't know of. But it always came back, twice as hard. Maybe his younger bro was finally learning that some things didn't get solved by blowing things up. And he had the feeling Kiwi had a big role in this. Maybe this was meant to be. Maybe he needed her to heal. And maybe she needed him to heal, since there were a lot of similarities between them, especially when it came to talk about feelings. Maybe they could help each other out.  
Throttle sighed. Carbine was there in his head every day now since he had told Kiwi about her. Maybe, one day.. they could be together again. Because he had the feeling they also needed each other. One day...

"Throttle? I think there's something you need to see", and Kiwi gave him her phone. Throttle looked at the screen. Someone had posted on Facebook that she had seen some weird things going on at one of the buildings downtown Chicago. Her description made clear she had seen Greasepit.  
"Thanks, Kiwi. We'll scoop it out. Yo! Bro's! It's tail whippin' time!"  
A white blur flew past them outside, followed by Modo at a slower pace. Kiwi smiled.  
"Go get them, guys. See you later."  
Vinnie, now on his bike, winked at her. Throttle and Modo mounted their bikes and smiled at her.  
"See you with lunch, Kiwi ma'am", Modo said and they revved their bikes.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

Modo was waiting outside the building, just around the corner of the exit. He was filing his nails, of better said, his fingertips of his metal arm. Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of a approaching vehicle. He recognized it as Greasepit's trike.  
He stretched his metal arm and Greasepit slammed against it when he wanted to drive outside. The oil dripping guy flew into the air and landed in the dump across the street.  
"Yeah! Excellent play, bro!", Vinnie cheered when he and Throttle popped up next to him. It was them who had chased Greasepit to the exit.  
Modo smiled and held up his metal arm, moving his hand.  
"It's all in the wrist!", Modo smiled.  
A laser fire hit the floor closeby them and they looked up.  
"Uh oh, bro's", Throttle said, seeing three buggies with goons coming straight at them.  
"It's tag team time!" and they popped a wheelie and drove back inside the building.  
"Let's take 'm in and take 'm out!", Vinnie cheered. Ah. Nothing better than a good fight to clear the head.  
The buggies followed them inside, still firing. Throttle looked around him.  
"Hey, hey, hey, watch your fire, bro's. There's some dangerous stuff here", he said when he saw a lot of explosives lying in the warehouse.  
Vinnie laughed. "Yeah, like us!"  
There was a big explosion behind them and goons suddenly approached them from the front.  
"Speaking of heating things up", and Vinnie pointed at them.  
"We got incoming fire!", Throttle yelled and they made a sharp turn to avoid the lasers and the buggies. The goons drove past them and joined their companions that were still driving behind the mice. They all stopped and one of them fired at a shelf unit that was loaded with explosives. The mice turned to attack the goons, but needed to stop when the explosives, some kind of rockets, landed on their path. One of the other goons fired and a big explosion was the result. The mice didn't got hit, but the explosion made a huge crater into the ground and another explosion, behind them, blasted them over the edge. They fell down and landed hard on the ground, their bikes lying next to them. For a moment, they lay still, dazed from the hard hit.  
Suddenly, they heard Greasepit's voice.  
"This is gonna be more fun than a bucket of mousies…"  
The mice looked up and saw him standing at the edge of the crater, alongside his goons.  
He was holding a flamethrower in his hands, aimed on the mice.  
The bro's pushed themselves up.  
"Uhm, bro's… I hate to be a downer…", Throttle started.  
"But we're in a whole lot of trouble", Modo finished.  
They quickly mounted their bikes. They always had one advantage, and that was that Greasepit and the goons always wanted to make this moment special, so they always waited a little bit too long.  
"So ehm, do we have a game plan for this one?", Vinnie asked his leader.  
"Nothing in my playbook", Throttle answered.  
"Hey, how about leave the hole number one?", Modo suggested.  
Throttle rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. Yeah, fits the bill."  
Vinnie was bouncing on his bike.  
"Aaow, I love it!", and he pumped his fist into the air.  
"Hahaaa, always one of my special favorites!", Modo agreed.  
"Tatadatataaa", Throttle started, and his bro's joined him.  
"Tatadatataaa, tadatataa, tadataaa!" and they popped a wheelie.  
They sped forward and started to drive circles against the walls of the crater. The goons and Greasepit opened fire, but as always, missed.  
The mice fired their jets and jumped out of the crater, right over Greasepit and his goons. They landed behind them and turned their bikes to face them.  
"This is it, grease dump!", Throttle laughed and cannons popped out of all three bikes.  
"Well, now the field's leveled, we're ready to play!", Vinnie cheered.  
"And it's time to play showdown…", Modo finished, his eye glowing red.  
"Ehm… Why don't yous goons handle this", Greasepit said, slowly walking away. "I'm just gonna go jeh… feed the birds."  
But suddenly, another explosion and the wall of the warehouse exploded. Greasepit, who was standing close by, quickly ran away. "What the heck?"  
"Couldn't have said it better myself", Throttle smiled, looking at the scene before them.  
Smoke and dust slowly disappeared and a buggy with a red bearded man came into view. He opened fire at Greasepit, who was running away, screaming loudly. The man was followed by more buggies. A rocket exploded closeby Greasepit and the poor guy flew into the air. He landed hard on the ground and grease flew through the air. The mice held their hands before them in a attempt to protect themselves.  
"Waaooww, splatter city!", Vinnie laughed.  
More rockets were fired and the buggies from Limburger all exploded. Goons were flying through the air. The mice were watching all this.  
"Who are those guys?", Modo asked.  
Another explosion and more goons flying through the air.  
"Aaaooww! I don't who they are, but I like their style! Come on, bro's! They're starting a party without us!" and Vinnie popped a wheelie and threw himself into chaos, followed by his bro's.  
They joined the unknown fella's and together, they finished off the goons. Vinnie stopped and opened his visor.  
"Ahh… smoked trikes… Tzie specialty of tzie mouse!", he said with a French accent, kissing his fingers.  
"Well, maybe it's time for your pathé to get foire grassed, yous mousies", Greasepit said from behind them. There were a couple of goons who had survived the fight standing next to him.  
But there was another explosion and Greasepit flew through the air, again. He landed on the ground. Again. Ah man. This just wasn't his day.  
"Hey man, no fair! It was my turn to blast them!", Vinnie yelled agitated at the read bearded man, who looked back at the white furred mouse from his buggy.  
"You snooze, you lose…", he said with a low voice and he drove away.  
"Hey! I do all the snappy lines around here too…", Vinnie growled, his tail lashing. This guy was getting on his nerve.

The man stopped next to Greasepit, who was lying helpless on the floor. He aimed his gun at him.  
"I give…", Greasepit said, meaning he surrendered.  
But the red bearded man lay his finger on the trigger. Throttle revved his bike and drove towards them. He used his knuck-knocks to punch the gun in two.  
"Hey! Appreciate the help, citizen, but you're stepping over the line!", the tan furred mouse said angrily, pointing at the man in front of him. But the guy wasn't impressed.  
"And you just stepped into something you shouldn't. Out of my way, boy!" and he raised the part of the gun he was still holding in his hand. He slammed the back of it full on Throttle's head and despite he was wearing a helmet, the hit was hard enough to make Throttle crash on the floor, moaning in pain.  
"Why you low life scum!", Modo growled and fired his laser at the buggies. But the buggies fired back and two rockets exploded above them, making the ceiling collapse on Modo and Vinnie. The red bearded man laughed hard and evilly.  
Greasepit and his goons quickly left the building, knowing this was a losing battle.  
The dust and smoke from the last explosion was still hanging in the air and the read bearded man thought he had smoked the mice. But obviously, he didn't knew them. So he could't have known that when someone was messing with their bro, they got angry. Very angry. Laserfire came out of the cloud of dust and Vinnie and Modo came into view, a murderous look on their faces.  
They kept firing and firing and the red bearded man signed at his companions to bail. But Modo and Vinnie didn't gave up that easily and followed them, still firing.  
But the bad guys made it out and the last one that left, fired at the ceiling, so the exit was blocked. Modo and Vinnie quickly turned their bikes and drove back to Throttle, was was still lying on the floor. He slowly sat up straight, holding his head.  
"Oh man…', he sighed.  
Vinnie stopped next to him.  
"Throttle, are you okay, bro?", he asked, worry on his face.  
"Yeah, you took quite a knock on the knocking…", Modo said, also worried.  
Throttle slowly stood up.  
"Let's hear it for helmet's, bro's. Probably saved my skull."  
"Can you ride?", Vinnie asked, his voice low.  
"We got a score to settle", Modo said, his eye glowing red.  
"No, no, no, easy bro's, easy. Those buggy boys are long gone from here", Throttle stopped them.  
"Well, who were they anyway?", Vinnie asked.  
"Whoever they are, they don't seemed to be all that fond to Limburgers troups", Modo answered.  
"Ha! Well, that narrows it down to most of the known galaxy", Vinnie laughed.  
Throttle, who was sitting on his bike again, nodded.  
"Yeah. Well, I've got a feeling, deep in my skull, that we'll meet them again."  
"And when we do…", Modo started, looking at Vinnie.  
"... we've got some hard hitting points to make!", his white furred bro finished, hitting one fist into his other hand.

Back home, Kiwi grabbed a bottle of aspirin. She gave Throttle three pills.  
"Here, this should help with the headache."  
Throttle was lying on the couch, almost looking cross-eyed because of the pain in his head.  
"Thanks…", he sighed and swallowed the pills.  
Vinnie and Modo were sitting on the other couch, still worried about their leader, but also angry. Kiwi lay a cold and wet washcloth on Throttle's head. The tan furred mouse let out a deep sigh and slowly fell asleep. Kiwi looked at the two other mice.  
"He will be fine. He just needs some time to rest."  
"Time is something we don't have, sweetheart. We need to find out who these guys are", Vinnie growled, still very upset.  
"Easy, Vin. I'm sure you'll get your payback. But give him some time, alright?", Kiwi said.  
Vinnie took a few deep breaths to calm down. She was right. He knew his leader long enough to know he also wanted payback.  
Modo, for once, completely understood where his younger bro was coming from. Nobody was allowed to mess with his bro's. But for now, Throttle's health was the most important.

After a few hours, Throttle slowly woke up. Kiwi was still sitting with him, Vinnie and Modo were busy with their bikes in the garage.  
"Throttle, are you alright?", she asked, feeling on his forehead. Throttle gave her a small smile and slowly got upright.  
"Yeah, I am. That aspirin did the job, babe. Thanks."  
"No problem, of course."  
There was a silence. Then, Throttle looked at her.  
"I think it's time to find out where these guys come from. You coming?", he asked.  
"Sure thing."

When they arrived back at the warehouse, they pulled off their helmets and looked around them.  
"Man, these guys are nasty", Modo said, looking at the destruction.  
"Tore this place up righteous enough", Vinnie agreed.\  
Throttle looked at the tire prints.  
"Hmm… Looked like they went east…"  
"What's east to here?", Modo asked at Kiwi.  
"Detroit…", Kiwi sighed.  
Vinnie's face lit up.  
"Detroit?"  
"THE Detroit?", Modo asked, his eyes wide.  
"That's right… The motor city", Throttle smiled.  
"The biggest horsepower city of the known universe?", Modo asked, all hyped up.  
"The mecca of mechanical marvels…", Vinnie breathed, looking up at the sky.  
"Oh, my life long ambition. A city trip through motown…", Modo sighed happily.  
"Yeah, well, now we got a reason", Throttle chuckled, shaking his head.  
"Yeah… I'll teach them to slug one of my bro's!", and Vinnie punched Throttle on the arm.  
"I think they already know how, Vincent", Throttle said a little annoyed, holding his arm.  
"Well, let's teach them the consequences then!", Modo growled, his eye glowing red.  
"Yeah… anyone else may pardon…", Vinnie said and looked at his bro's.  
They raised their fists in the air.  
"But the Biker Mice…"  
And they slammed their fists against each other.  
"NEVER!"

Kiwi rolled their eyes, but Vinnie already grabbed her and sat her on his bike.  
They revved their engine.  
"AAOW! Let's rock and ride!", Vinnie cheered and they drove away.  
" _Detroit city, here we come!_ ", they started singing when they were on the highway.  
"Oh no, please…", Kiwi sighed, but she couldn't help but smile.  
" _Right back where the engines from!"  
_ "A trip to Motown with the gang. Oh boy...", Kiwi mumbled at herself.  
" _Paddappaadaadaaa, Detroit city, here we come"_ , the mice started over again. But this time, Kiwi sang along. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Vinnie squeezed his tail and Kiwi rubbed his back, her fingers going through his fur. Yeah. This could be fun trip after all.

It was already dark when they were closeby Detroit. Kiwi looked around her, only to see smog, ugly buildings and a lot of air pollution.  
"I really don't understand why you guys are looking forward to go into Detroit", she sighed. She hated the town. She had been there a few times with her parents, but it was ugly, smelly and well… She just hated it.  
"Pretty lady attitude!", Vinnie called out and looked over his shoulder. "It's Detroit! Duh!"  
"Yeah, headbanger capital of the US!", Modo added.  
"The picture perfect place to settle up with the buggy boys!", Throttle nodded.  
"Honestly… I mean, it's not like they have a good ball team or anything…", Kiwi said, rolling her eyes.  
"Oooohhh, so that's why the attitude, 'ey sweetheart?", Vinnie laughed, looking at Kiwi. "Cubs fan. Major."  
Kiwi said nothing, but Vinnie was right. Not that she was really that into baseball, but she grew up learning to support the Cubs. And…  
"Detroit whips their tails every year", Modo smiled.  
"Cheaters", Kiwi snapped at him.  
"Yeah, well. We're here to do a little tail whippin' ourselves, bro's", Throttle changed the subject and revved his bike. "So let's get to it."  
Kiwi suddenly saw they took the wrong direction.  
"Hey! Where are you going? This bridge goes to Canada!"  
"It's okay, Kiwi ma'am. We're only going halfway", Modo reassured her.  
"Half… waaaaaaaaaaay?", Kiwi suddenly screamed, when Vinnie fired his jets and sped forward with dangerous speed. Oh my god. You would think she would be used at this by now. But nothing turned out to be less true. She squeezed her eyes, holding Vinnie tightly. She felt how they suddenly drove up. She peeked and saw they were riding on one of the big cables of the bridge. When they were at the top, the mice hit the brakes. Kiwi was breathing heavily, and she slowly opened her eyes. Wow. They had a good view over Detroit from up here.  
Modo pulled off his helmet.  
"Oehhh, there she is", he breathed happily, looking at the city. "Ain't she splendid?"  
"It stinks…", Kiwi said, wrinkling her nose. "It's smelly, polluted, auto factory's everywhere…"  
The mice looked at her, Vinnie with a big smile on his face.  
"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Don't you guys just love American cities?", Throttle asked.  
Kiwi laughed. "What I'm trying to say is; it really stinks…" and she pinched her nose.  
Vinnie opened his visor and smelled the air.  
"Ugh, yeah… Hey, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that stink was…"  
"Plutarkian…", the mice said in unison.  
Throttle looked around him and spotted a building closeby. "It's coming from over there, bro's."  
Vinnie leaned forward on his bike and switched something on his cannon that came out of the headlight. He pushed a button and shot a mic.

 _"Time to begin phase two of my bwiljant plan. Activate the transmission device!"_

The mice looked at each other, confused. A awful laugh came out of Vinnie's speakers. Vinnie rolled his eyes. All these bad guys had the same, hideous 'evil' laugh.

"Gweetings, Wimburger!"  
"WHAT?", they heard Limburger scream.  
"It is I, your owd fish school rival. Napoleon Bwie!"  
"Oh, wonderful… Dealing with idiocy is infuriating enough, but insanity... "  
"INSANE? I'll show you who's insane, Wimburger! I'm going to whip off your whole Chicago opewation!"  
"Oh yes? And how do you propose to do that?"  
"That's weally simple, Wimburger! A contest!"  
"Kindly elaborate... ", Limburger sighed.

"My goon rangers against your ridiculous goons in a incredible, no holding back demolition derby! Here, tomorrow, in Detwoit! The winner gets both city's! The woser… leaves this planet… FOREVER! In disgrace. BE THERE! But of course… if you're afwaid…"  
"Afraid? You're entirely overestimating yourself, my dear Brie. I accept your challenge. And anticipate an early triomphe!"  
"Till tomorrow then, Wimburger!"

The mice heard a loud explosion. But Brie wasn't done yet.  
"Wimburger will certainly arrive here tonight in a ridiculously attempt to take me by surprise… Me, Napoleon Bwie, the most underhanded Plutarkian in the galaxy. But I'll be waiting… I will be waiting on the bwidge and end him…" and he cackled manically.

Vinnie turned off his speakers and looked at his bro's.  
"Looks like we've hooked ourselves another Plutarkian stinkfish, bro's!"  
"Yeah, and this one makes Limburger looking like citizen of the year", Modo added.  
"If that contest between them gets out of hand, hundred of innocent people could get hurt…", Kiwi breathed.  
"Well, now that's not gonna happen, now is it? 'Cause the Mice are in the motorcity!", and Throttle closed his visor. "So…"  
"When in Detroit", Vinnie smiled, closing his visor too.  
"Do what the Detroiters do…", Modo snickered.  
"Let's ROCK… and RIDE!"

They decided the bikes could use a little extra protection for this fight. They had seen how these guys fought. Luckily, they found a junkyard with enough metal to cover their bikes. When they were done, Vinnie jumped on his bike and popped a wheelie.  
"Yeah, demolition derby time!", he cheered.  
"Yeah, buddy. Deeeetroit!", Throttle smiled.  
"Rock and roll city!", and Modo revved his bike.  
"Let's RIDE!"  
They drove away, all hyped up. Kiwi watched them go, a little worried. This was different. These guys played dirty. She hoped they would come back in one piece.

The mice were watching the disaster that was going on on the bridge. Both Plutarkians were angry because they had tried to trick each other, but both failed.  
"Let's do this, bro's", and they all fired a rocket.  
They landed on the buggies of the Detroit goons and they ran away just in time. One of them was the red bearded man. He looked up and saw the mice standing on one of the iron beams of the bridge.  
"Argh, it's those Chicago boys again…"  
"We're being bwindsided!", Brie yelled angrily.  
The mice drove down.  
"We may be three mice…"  
"But we ain't blind…"  
"And we never run…"  
And they opened fire on the buggy boys. But they stopped next to Limburgers limousine when they heard Brie yelling that Chicago was his.  
"Think again, stink shrimp", Throttle said with a low voice.  
"Yeah… 'cause were on the Chicago team…", Vinnie pointed at himself, his head crooked.  
"And no Plutarkian sewage face invades Biker Mice turf without a fight…", Modo finished, crossing his arms. "Right?", and he faced Limburger, who was still sitting in his car.  
"Unfortunately…"  
"Biker Mice? Looks like Limburger couldn't even finish the job he started on Mars…", the red bearded man said, then he laughed and he grabbed a gun. "How about I give these boys a new zip code?"  
But Brie stopped him.  
"No, no, no, no! Wait! Let's do this wight…" and he looked at the Biker Mice and Limburger from out of his truck.  
"Very well, Wimburger… Do you accept these wodents as your team? I warn you, if they wose, and they will wose, I will destroy ewerything you own, including your wifes!"  
Limburger looked with shock on his face at the mice.  
"I uh…", but Modo aimed his armcannon at him. Vinnie whirled his lasergun around with his tail and grabbed it, looking very smugly at Limburger. Throttle punched his fist into his other hand. The threat was very clear. Limburger agreed.  
Modo looked at his bro's.  
"Oh momma, I can't believe we're doing this…"

Later that night, they were standing on one of the many industrial areas Detroit owned, next to the building of Brie. The Biker Mice on the left, the army of Brie on the right. Limburger, Brie and Greasepit were standing on a balcony of the building, looking down.  
"Is ewerybody ready?", Brie asked in the microphone.  
"Ah man, who would have thought we were gonna be fighting for Limburger?", Modo growled.  
"We're not fighting for Limburger, bro's, we're fighting for Chitown!", Throttle told them.  
"And now we're finally gonna beat Brie's buggy boys!", Vinnie cheered happily.  
"Yeah, that's the theory anyway… The odds are against us", Throttle said, looking at the goons.  
"That's when we do our best work!", Modo smiled.  
"Attention pwease… Detwoit rules; THERE ARE NO WULES! On your mark…"  
The mice revved their bikes, the goons their buggies.  
"Get set…"  
But the red bearded man, Number One was his name, pushed a button and a rocket flew out of his buggy. It exploded right under Vinnie's bike and he flew into the air.  
"Yiiaaooww!"  
Throttle and Modo looked in shock at their younger bro, but thankfully, he had it all under control. He made a few somersaults and landed on his tires again.  
"HEY! They jumped the gun!", Throttle yelled angrily.  
"Missile is more like it…", Modo said.  
"SO! That's how you wanna play, 'ey slimefish?", Vinnie growled at Brie. But Number One stopped next to him.  
"Like he said: Detroit rules. There are now rules. This isn't Beverly Hills, you know?"  
Vinnie glared at him and clenched his teeth. That's it. Enough is just enough. This guy was crossing too many lines, and it all got started with hitting his bro. He jumped off his bike and grabbed the red bearded man by his coat.  
"You are messing with the wrong mouse, sweetheart", he said with a dangerously low voice.  
Number One looked at him and started laughing. Laughing! Vinnie clenched his fist and punched the guy so hard in the face, he flew away and crashed on the balcony next to Brie.  
"That felt extremely satisfying", Vinnie smiled.  
Brie looked down and screamed in anger, but before he could say anything, Vinnie pointed his gun at him.  
"What? No rules, right?" and he pulled the trigger. Everybody on the balcony dove away and Vinnie laughed. He mounted his bike and whistled at his bro's.  
"Yo, bro's. Let finish this!" and they threw themselves into chaos.

Meanwhile, Kiwi was hiding on the roof next to Brie's building. She saw the mice were winning the battle. Good. A sudden movement caught her eye. She saw Karbunkle standing at the edge of the building, with a huge bazooka in his hand. Uh oh… That couldn't be good. Shit. She needed to stop him. But how? She looked around her and saw a metal pipe lying on the floor. She grabbed it and crept towards Karbunkle. The weird guy (or whatever he was) was too busy with gloating, so he didn't notice her. She quickly looked down and saw that the mice had won the battle. They were standing under the balcony, having a conversation with Limburger. Well, conversation. It was more like throwing threats at each other. Kiwi took a deep breath and beat Karbunkle against the back of his head with the pipe. He let out a high scream and dropped on the ground, unconscious.  
"Yes!" and she quickly grabbed the bazooka, before it would fall down. At that point, Limburger and the mice looked up and saw her standing. She looked at Vinnie, who gave her a encouraging smile. With his tail, he pointed at Brie's building. She looked back confused, but then it dawned on her. She needed to use the bazooka to blow up that building. But she never had fired a bazooka...  
She quickly put her small ear device in her ear and activated it.  
"I can't do this, Vinnie", she breathed into the microphone.  
"Sure you can, sweetheart. Think about our lessons. First; pose…"  
His low voice filled her ear and she felt that tingle in her belly again. But she did what he said.  
"Very good, doll. Now, aim… breath… and when you're ready, pull the trigger and blow this shithole to the seventh galaxy."  
She looked down on him, and he gave her that smile she loved so much. Throttle and Modo also gave her a reassuring smile. She took a deep breath and felt her body relax.  
She lifted the bazooka, closed one eye to aim at the bottom of the building and for a moment, there was only silence and she could only hear her own breathing. Her finger slowly made his way to the trigger.  
"You can do this, Kiwi", she heard Vinnie's voice.  
He said her name.  
She let out her breath and pulled the trigger. The backlash was insane and she fell down on her back. A deafening explosion and she quickly scrambled on her feet again. The whole building was crumbled into dust. She heard Brie screaming.  
"Noooo! My poor building!"  
"Oh shut up… Once simply get used to it…", Limburger sighed.  
Kiwi jumped in the air.  
"YES! I did it! Holy shit, I did it!"  
She heard three engines and the mice joined her on the roof. They stepped off their bikes and pulled off their helmets, but before anyone could say anything, Kiwi ran towards Vinnie and jumped in his arms.  
"I did it! Oh my god, did you see that explosion! Holy shit!"  
"Hard to miss, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you!"  
Kiwi looked him in the eye and suddenly, that burning desire overtook her again. She quickly made herself loose. Throttle and Modo high fived her.  
"Great job, Kiwi ma'am!"  
"Yeah, Kiwi. Welcome to the team!"  
Kiwi laughed. She never had felt this happy.  
"Let's go home, guys", and she climbed on Vinnie's bike.  
"Let's ROCK and RIDE!"

* * *

A little less drama and a bit more old school action this one. But believe me, next chapter is gonna be tense! So stay tuned and puhlease review! :)


	20. Chapter 19

Thanks for the reviews, once again very happy with them.  
Raven Perez: I didn't forget about Upwardly Mobile, but I had this idea in my head and I needed the next episode to work that out. Also, Upwardly Mobile didn't had that much to offer for my story, only a funny scene with big macho mice hiding under a table because of a earthquake. But maybe I will use some parts of it later on.

Well, on to the next chapter. I just couldn't wait any longer to share it with you guys.  
I think it's the longest chapter I've ever written, so make sure you got the time when you're gonna read it.  
It's a pretty tense one too, this one. Shit is about to get real.

Anyway, enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter nineteen**

Kiwi was sitting inside on the couch working on her computer. Vinnie was lying next to her on his belly, looking at what she was doing.  
"Where did you learn all this stuff, sweetheart?", he asked. He tried to understand what she was doing, but he didn't had a clue.  
"At school. I never was the kinda girl who liked to do her hair and nails. So when I went to college, it was not to learn about fashion, but about computers. Never finished it, though. Right before graduation, my parents died…" she trailed off.  
Vinnie studied her and sat up straight.  
"What happened to you after that?", he asked hesitant. He didn't want to make her feel as if he was pushing her to talk about it. Heck, he never talked about what happened to him. So he knew how annoying it was if people asked. But he had to ask. He had this weird feeling to protect her. To get to know her. To be there for her.  
Kiwi sighed and sat her laptop on the table. She grabbed a pillow and held it against her.  
"I eh… I couldn't handle it. I got in this heavy depression. After a few weeks, I just gave up. I took all the pills I had and just went to sleep to never wake up again… But Ruby found me. Brought me to the hospital, and when turned out I was physically okay, she brought me to a psychiatric clinic. I stayed there for like three months, and after that I was okay enough to go back home. A few weeks later, you guys popped up."  
Vinnie looked at her. She was telling this like she was speaking about someone else, with an almost colld distance. But maybe that was the only way to deal with it. He completely understood. But he still sucked at this. He had no idea what to say.  
"I'm sorry, sweetheart…", he eventually said softly. And he meant it. She must have felt so lonely, so helpless to do something like that. To end her own life…  
Kiwi looked at him.  
"I feel much better since you guys are here… Really… You gave me back a family… You gave me back hope..."  
She jumped at her feet and grabbed Vinnie's hand. She dragged him to the wall next to the tv and gently took a picture that was hanging there. She gave it to Vinnie.  
"This is me and my parents, a few weeks before they died…"  
Vinnie studied the picture. Kiwi was standing in the middle, looking more happy than he ever saw her. Her eyes were clear and twinkling, her whole face smiled. Her dad was standing at her right, his arm around her waist. A friendly face, black hair with grey on the side, but green eyes. Vinnie's gaze landed on her mother, standing at her left. He swallowed. Kiwi was clearly the image of her mother, but a little bit younger. Long black waving hair, that olive coloured skin, a body a lot of girls would die for. Her mother looked into the camera, her blue eyes twinkling, but at the same time filled with some kind of seriousness. Vinnie recognized the look. But it was the love that hit Vinnie the most. He could tell, with only looking at this picture, how much they all loved each other.  
Slowly, he looked up to Kiwi. He just didn't know what to say.  
Kiwi gave him a sad smile, her eyes told him she understood. That it was okay. That sometimes, words couldn't cover the load. Gently, she took the picture and hung it back with a tenderness that gave Vinnie the sudden urge to cry. He shook his head and when she turned around, he gave her her favorite smile and she stared at him. He looked back, his eyes suddenly full with something she hadn't seen before. Desire. His eyes lowered. Kiwi felt her cheeks burning and her heart pounding in her chest. They had been here before. But now, there was nobody to interrupt, since Modo and Throttle were out to get some groceries. Oh shit…  
Vinnie lifted his right hand and lay it against her face. He slowly pulled her closer as he leaned forward. Kiwi closed her eyes, her breathing already heavy. This was gonna happen. This has been in the air for months now. And now, there was nothing that was gonna stop them.  
When her lips touched his, her heart skipped a beat. He kissed her softly, gently. Carefully. Then he stopped and looked at her, with that arrogant, almost lazy look.  
"Is this okay, sweetheart?", he asked, his voice low and husky.  
Kiwi nodded, she couldn't say a word.  
He kissed her again, more passionate this time. And that moment was when it happened. That burning desire. She couldn't hold herself back anymore and lost control. She kissed him back with eagerness she never had experienced before. He immediately reacted. A growl escaped his mouth and he pulled her against him. He was kissing her roughly, but o so passionate. Kiwi moaned and she pulled off his bandoliers.  
He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him. Still kissing her with so much passion that Kiwi hardly couldn't breathe, he pushed her against the wall. Her fingers slid through his fur, she slammed her nails in his back. Vinnie growled and pulled off her shirt. His hands flew over her body, the feeling of her soft skin under his fingers almost made him crazy, but when he reached her pants, he suddenly stopped.  
He pulled back, breathing heavily. She looked at him, also out of breath. She was leaning against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. He leaned with one hand against the wall to support himself, the other hand was still holding her.  
"Woa, sweetheart. That escalated quickly…", he breathed, still looking at her, a little smile around his lips.  
Kiwi nodded, also smiling.  
"Yeah… ahum…"  
"I don't want it to be like this. I don't wanna give you the feeling I only want you for… this…", Vinnie whispered, but he was still holding her. It had cost him all his self control to stop, and he wasn't known for having a lot of self control. But he had made a promise.  
Kiwi nodded.  
"You're right. Maybe this is all a little bit too soon", she sighed.  
Vinnie gently set her on the ground and smiled at her. She smiled back. Something caught Vinnie's eye.  
"You're bleeding, sweetheart", he said softly, pointing at her lower lip.  
Kiwi quickly raised her hand and touched her lip. There was a small cut in it.  
"Yeah… Guess we need a little practise with the buckteeth and all…', she smiled. "It's just a small cut, no biggie, Vin. Don't worry."  
Vinnie nodded, but looked a little bit guilty.  
"I don't regret it", she whispered.  
"Me neither…"  
He gave her back her shirt and she quickly put it on. He did the same with his bandoliers.  
Kiwi was staring at her feet, not knowing if she needed to tell him this. What if he was gonna laugh at her? What if…  
"I'm still a virgin", she blurted out. Wauw, Kiwi. Smooth. Subtle. Honestly…  
Vinnie froze and slowly turned around. He stared at her. Kiwi avoided his look, shuffling with her feet. He suddenly stood before her and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.  
"More reason to take it slow, sweetheart…"  
His voice. Oh my god, he needed to stop doing this, otherwise she was gonna jump him again. But he didn't laugh. He didn't make fun of her. He gently lifted her head, forcing her to look at him.  
"And more reason to make the first time special, instead of… this…" and he smiled that cute, shy smile.  
Kiwi blushed, she just couldn't help it.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right... "  
"I know I'm right, doll. You deserve better than just ordinary sex against a wall", and he winked at her.  
She giggled. God, she felt like a teenager in love. Well, she was in love. Maybe not a teenager anymore, but who cares? Age is just a number.  
Vinnie leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed happily. Home. She was home.

It was then they suddenly heard a lot of noise outside. Vinnie froze and pricked his ears.  
"Hmmm… Sounds like trouble", he said and grabbed Kiwi's hand. "Stay close, doll. Let's scoop it out."  
They walked to the garage and Vinnie looked out of the window, making sure to stay out of sight. His eyes grew big. What the…  
Greasepit was sitting in a massive machine with a wrecking ball. He was parked on the road right behind Kiwi's fence. Goons were standing next to him, lined up. Vinnie gritted his teeth.  
"Wait here, sweetheart. I'm gonna ask me some questions."  
Kiwi tried to stop him, but he was already on his bike and drove outside. The fence opened and Vinnie shot his laser at the machine to get Greasepit's attention.  
"Heys! Yous got a problem?", Greasepit called out.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes and stepped off his bike. He grabbed Greasepit's hand.  
"Oh no, no, no, grease dump... But you do!" and he pulled the big guy out of the cabine and grabbed him by his dungarees.  
"Talk fast, oil breath. What are you doing here?", Vinnie growled.  
He heard weapons clicking behind him and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw goons standing with their guns aimed at him. With his free hand, he grabbed his lasergun and shot the guns out of their hands. He brought his attention back to Greasepit.  
"Well?"  
"It's all nice and legalised! And yous can do a thing about it!" and Greasepit held up piece of paper.  
Vinnie grabbed it. Hmmmm… Bad news. Apparently, Limburger had permission to take down this house, because it was standing in the way for a subway system he wanted to build. Typical. Only Limburger could arrange this on such a short term, not giving Kiwi the chance to grab her stuff and leave. He needed to buy them some time, to talk to Throttle about this. Even he knew he couldn't do what he usually does. Blow up everything in sight. He wanted to, though. But they could call the cops. And oh boy, Throttle would kill him.  
Vinnie lifted Greasepit in the air and threw him against the wrecking ball. That made the thing whirl around and Greasepit flew away, landing on the goons. Good. That will teach them a lesson. He quickly jumped at his bike and drove back to Kiwi's house, the fence closing behind him. Not that was gonna stop them. But letting it open could be interpreted as a invitation. And they were obviously NOT welcome here.

Vinnie stopped his bike with shrieking brakes back in the garage and Kiwi run towards them.  
"What is going on, Vinnie?", she asked, fear in her voice. He pulled off his helmet.  
"Big trouble, that's what's going on. Limburger has found a way to destroy your house, legalised. He must have found out you live here with us…" he trailed off when he saw her tears.  
"Jesus, Vin… They can't take away my house! It's all I have left from my parents!", she yelled, grabbing him.  
Vinnie gently cupped his hands around her face.  
"Listen to me, sweetheart. Like that is gonna happen. But I need to talk to Throttle about this."  
He let her go and pushed a button on his bike. After a few seconds, Throttle's voice was heard over the speakers.  
"Yeah, Vinnie?"  
"Yo, fearless leader. We got us a little situation over here…", but when he heard explosions on the background, Vinnie narrowed his eyes.  
"HEY! Are you guys having fun without moi?", he asked, a little agitated.  
"Fun isn't the word I'd use. Goons with blazers everywhere, and they keep on coming. Not that we can't handle them", Throttle said drily. "So, what's going on, Vincent? Can't get your swelled head through a door opening?"  
"Haha. Very funny", Vinnie responded sarcastic. "Listen to this…" and he quickly told what was going on.  
"We need to stop them, Throttle. I can't lose my house!", Kiwi quickly added when Vinnie was done.  
"I know, Kiwi. But if they got a legal order, they can call the police if we give them trouble…"  
"Let them! I'll kick their asses!", Vinnie growled, very annoyed to be so helpless.  
"You know better, Vincent. The law is the law. Listen, it does explain this… sudden act of violence over here. They're obviously are trying to hold us up. We'll try to be there as soon as possible, and then we'll figure something out. Meanwhile, hold the fort, Vincent."  
"No problem…", Vinnie smiled, but Throttle heard the tone in his voice.  
"And I do not want you pounding on those clowns and getting your stupid tail thrown into the slammer. You hear that?"  
Vinnie clenched his fist.  
"Aarrgh, FINE!"  
"Good. We'll be there as soon as possible."  
Vinnie turned off the radio and looked at Kiwi.  
"Well, this sure sucks…"  
Kiwi nodded. "You can say that alright…"

After waiting for an hour, Greasepit was back in the land of the living and preparing to continue. Vinnie was shaking in anger. He knew better than to disobey Throttle, but this was ridiculous. He couldn't just let them get away with this?  
"Any last words, mousie?", he heard Greasepit yelling.  
"How about eating Martian Mice knuckles, you septic slimeball!", Vinnie yelled and he wanted to open the door, but Kiwi grabbed him.  
"Vinnie, cut it out! Remember what Throttle said!"  
Vinnie stopped and sighed heavily.  
"Ah man, frustration city…"  
He looked out of the window.  
"Well, hate to say it, but this looks likes the last stand at your house, sweetheart…"  
Kiwi also looked outside and saw Greasepit preparing the machine. Her heart almost exploded out of her chest.  
"No, this can't be happening, right?", she whispered.  
Vinnie also stared out of the window, thinking about a way to stop this.  
"Wait a minute… Maybe I gotta lay off the goons… But nobody said something about the machines…", and he started laughing.  
Kiwi looked at him.  
"I don't know, Vinnie, I think…", but Vinnie ignored her. Dammit, how was it possible that Throttle had this stubborn mouse under control for so long?  
Vinnie opened the window, jumped in the opening and grabbed his gun. He fired his laser at the wreckingball and the whole thing flew away. The chain broke and the ball rolled over all the buggies, crashing it. The goons quickly ran away.  
"Alright! Serve 'em up and knock 'em down!", he cheered, making a backflip like it was nothing and landed smoothly on the ground.  
Kiwi jumped in his arms and he whirled her around, celebrating this small victory.  
"What a guy…", Kiwi sighed and when Vinnie gently set her back on her feet, she pressed her lips against his. He kissed her back, but the sound of shots outside took his attention. He let her go and grabbed his helmet.  
"Looks like my fans are calling for me. It would be so rude to let them wait. I mean, I'm allowed to defend what's ours, right?" and he jumped on his bike.  
"Don't get carried away now, Vinnie…", Kiwi said pleading.  
He winked at her.  
"Who? Moi? AAAOOOWW!" and he popped a wheelie and flew outside. "Make room for Vinnie!"  
Kiwi crossed her arms before her chest, shaking her head with a smile. Crazy mouse. But honestly, without Throttle to keep him in line, completely out of control.  
The CB radio suddenly beeped and she grabbed the microphone.  
"Throttle?"  
"Yeah Kiwi. Everything okay?"  
Kiwi shrunk when she heard a loud explosion and Vinnie's characteristic battle cry.  
"Ehm… Not for long, I guess…"  
"How's Vincent?"  
"Well… I think you better step on it. Honestly, how do you control that mouse?"  
She heard Throttle sigh and she smiled again. She just couldn't help it. Poor Throttle.  
"We try to be there as fast as we can, but these goons got a party drive that just won't quit. Try to keep a low profile, see you soon!"  
Kiwi shook her head when she hung the microphone back.  
"Sure!. A low profile… No problem… Tell that to Vinnie…"

Vinnie was having the time of his life. One of the goons, who was driving a big bulldozer, was trying to fled the scene, but Vinnie was on his tail. Goons were following Vinnie, but they couldn't keep up with him.  
When Vinnie drove next to the bulldozer, he patted his bike.  
"Okay, sweetheart. Stay right with me", and he jumped on the bulldozer. His bike beeped and did what he said. Vinnie climbed into the cabin and threw the goon that was driving it out of the window. He took place behind the wheel and quickly turned the whole thing the other way, a huge smile on his face. He drove straight towards the goons and they all crashed against the front of the bulldozer.  
"Don't these yahoo's know when a biker wants to follow his way?", he laughed. Suddenly, the bulldozer stopped abrupt.  
"Uh oh… I smell trouble… Or maybe it's just my breath going back in my face", and he laughed out loud.  
"So long, fuzz face!", he heard Greasepit yelling.  
The ugly guy was sitting in a machine with a big grabbing hook that was holding the bulldozer up in the sky. Vinnie shook his head, still smiling. He slid out of the cabine at the back and jumped on his bike. He quickly drove away and stopped on a safe distance. Greasepit was still yelling and making threats at him, absolutely clueless that Vinnie was already gone. The guy even stepped out of his machine and walked over to the bulldozer, like he wanted to see how scared Vinnie was.  
Pfuh. Weirdo.  
"Hey, fat face! Over heeeeeeere!", Vinnie cheered and Greasepit turned around.  
Vinnie leaned forward on his windshield, laughing at the look on Greasepits face.  
"I just wanna to tell ya, I don't think your machine is made for a load that big."  
Greasepit stared at him.  
"Uhhh… It ain't?"  
"Nope…", and Vinnie pointed at the machine.  
Greasepit turned around and saw the crane, that was holding the bulldozer, cracking. But before he could run away, the whole bulldozer landed on top of him.  
"Well… Just goes to show ya, you should always read the enclosed drives manual!", Vinnie laughed and he drove back to Kiwi's house. But when he looked around him and saw the destruction, he suddenly felt his hands turn sweaty. Maybe he did got kinda carried away… Uh oh… Throttle was gonna kill him. But at least he had his fun today. And released some ehm… girl related stress? He laughed out loud. Man. What a day.

Just when he parked his bike, Throttle and Modo drove inside. Kiwi ran towards them.  
"Guys, are you okay?"  
Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, and you?"  
Kiwi also nodded. Modo stepped off his bike and pulled off his helmet.  
"Pfewie, these goons wouldn't give up, man. Sorry it took us so long, Kiwi ma'am."  
"No problem, Vinnie had it all eh… under control…", she said slowly, trying not to smile.  
The white furred mouse was awfully quiet. Throttle looked at him, clearly not amused.  
"I eh… Yeah… I… hehe… About that…", Vinnie chuckled nervously, pulling his bandana.  
"You had one job, Vincent. One job. Destroy everything in sight is not what I meant with holding the fort…", Throttle said, his voice low and his tail lashing.  
Vinnie did a few steps backwards.  
"I know, but…"  
Kiwi quickly interrupted him.  
"Look, Throttle? If Vinnie hadn't stop them, my house was dust now… He did what needed to be done...", she trailed off when she saw Throttle's look. "Okay, okay, I admit… He maybe did a little bit more than needed, but still… Listen. I got a plan. I already called the police, and..."  
The doorbell rang and the mice breathed in sharply.  
"Kiwi, you did what?", Throttle asked shocked.  
But Kiwi ignored him and quickly glanced out of the window. She saw two police officers standing at the door. She turned around.  
"I will handle this, okay? Trust me."  
But when she walked to the door, the mice followed her, their helmets on. But no time for arguing now. It was time to play the damsel in distress.  
She quickly messed up her hair, took a deep breath and yanked open the door, despair on her face.  
"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're here!", she cried, running outside and grabbing one of the police officers. "I thought I was gonna die!"  
"Easy ma'am. We came as soon as we got your call. Can we come in?", one of them said. He had a friendly face and wasn't that old yet. The other one was older, but also looked friendly.  
"Yeah, of course, come in, come in. These are three friends of mine, they just got here, don't mind them. I called them after I called you, I was so scared…", she babbled, walking to the kitchen, followed by the two officers. They looked a little suspicious at the mice, but then nodded and walked into the kitchen. The mice looked at each other, a smile on their faces. That girl just kept surprising them. They followed the officers into the kitchen, but kept their distance.  
"Please, sit down, can I offer you something to drink? Tea, maybe?", Kiwi asked, her voice shaky. Even her hands were shaking.  
Vinnie smiled. This girl sure was special.  
"No, thank you ma'am. Please sit down. My name is officer Milestone", the younger one said.  
Kiwi sat down, still that terrified look on her face, tears in her eyes.  
"My name is officer Dendy", the older one said, grabbing a notebook and a pen. When he had all Kiwi's data, he looked at her.  
"Miss Lavendor, can you please try to tell us what happened?"  
Kiwi took her roll very serious. She took a few, shaky breaths.  
"I was just sitting in my living room, doing some work on my computer and suddenly…", she stopped for a moment, pretending that she needed to control her emotions.  
"Suddenly I heard all this noise. My house was almost shaking and at first I thought it was an earthquake. But when I ran outside, there was this guy… Oh my god… He was huge. He was standing there with a whole army of men, and he told me he was gonna destroy my house. He showed me a piece of paper, told me that it was all legal. I panicked. I ran back inside and suddenly, all hell broke loose. It sounded like there was a war going on, I… Oh my god", and Kiwi burst out into tears. The officers waited patiently till she got herself back under control.  
"I didn't know what was happening, so I called you. I was so scared. I thought I was gonna die!", she sobbed, wiping away her tears with shaking hands.  
"Do you have any idea who has caused the destruction outside?", Milestone asked friendly.  
Kiwi shook her head.  
"I was hiding inside. But it must be that big man. God, the look in his eyes… He was pure evil. Spit out of hell by the devil himself…"  
"My colleagues are talking to him now, as we speak. Why don't you just try to calm down a little bit, ma'am? I'll be right back." And Dendy stood up, nodded at the mice and walked outside. Kiwi was still crying. Officer Milestone patted on her hand.  
"It's okay now, miss Lavendor. You're safe."  
Kiwi nodded, but said nothing.

After about fifteen minutes, Dendy walked back into the kitchen.  
"Well, we checked the papers of this operation and it was indeed authorized. However, the execution wasn't. We will arrest these men and you're house is safe, ma'am."  
Kiwi slowly lifted her head, her eyes watery.

"Really? Just like that?", she whispered.  
"Yeah, it's a shady businesses, alright. These guys all have records and the man you were telling us about, told us the destruction was caused by a mouse on a motorcycle. Honestly, they will tell you anything to stay out of jail. But a mouse on a bike, well, that's new, alright", Dendy told her.  
Milestone stood up.  
"Maybe we'll need your official statement later on. If we do, we'll ask you to come to the station, if that isn't a problem?"  
"No, not at all. I'll do everything to help putting people like that into jail. God doesn't love them."  
"Alright. You are gonna be okay now, miss Lavendor?", Dendy asked.  
"Yeah, my friends will take care of me… Thank you so much, officers. May God be with you" and she gave them a hand.  
The officers nodded and walked to the door. But Milestone suddenly turned around. The mice froze, just like Kiwi.  
"Oh, before I forget; City Hall will make sure the mess is gonna get cleaned up within a few days. You'll maybe shall experience some noise disturbance, but after that you can leave this whole incident behind you, okay?"  
Kiwi relaxed a little and looked at him with her big blue eyes.  
"Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much."  
"No problem, ma'am. It's our job. Take care."  
And a few moments after that, they heard the door closing.  
There was a silence for a moment. The mice stared at Kiwi and Kiwi wiped off her face.  
"That was awesome, sweetheart!", Vinnie finally snickered.  
Kiwi smiled.  
"Told ya I would handle this! I just thought, what if I'll be the one who calls the police? This whole thing just wasn't right. It's not legal to suddenly stand on someone doorway to tell them you're gonna take down their house. That can't be. And I just knew Greaespit is way too stupid to lie to the police. It would be his word against mine. So, I called them when Vinnie was outside and you know… playing a helpless girl that lives alone in a huge house… it always works."  
Vinnie pulled off his helmet and within two steps, he was standing next to her and pulled her in his arms.  
"You're the best, sweetheart", he smiled. Kiwi held him, also smiling.  
Throttle was looking at all this. Something was different between them. He couldn't lay his finger on it, but something had changed. He also had noticed the cut in her lip. Hmmm… But now was not the time.  
"Smart thinking, babe. And I must say, your acting is pretty good", he chuckled.  
"Yeah, yeah. You should get a Oscar for this one", Modo rumbled.  
"Oh, you guys… It was the least I could do after everything you did for me... "  
She looked up at Vinnie one more time before she slowly made herself loose.  
"But I gotta tell ya, this whole thing just made me hungry. Let's go out and eat, guys. I don't feel like cooking right now."  
"Allright!", the mice cheered and when they drove outside, they saw how Greasepit and the goons were loaded into a police van, their hands cuffed on their backs.  
"Now that's a sight for sore eyes, bro's", Throttle chuckled.  
"Yeah, that will keep him and Limburger busy for a while", Kiwi giggled.  
"Alright you mamma jammers… Let's ROCK…", Vinnie yelled, his fist in the air.  
"... and RIDE!"

Kiwi was looking at the jukebox, trying to figure out what song she wanted to hear. After diner, they'd went to a local bar to finish the evening in a festive way. The mic were sitting at a table in the corner, their helmets on to avoid someone would discover them. But nobody paid attention, though. Everybody was having a good time. Everybody, except…  
Kiwi suddenly felt someone behind her. And she immediately felt this person had no good intentions. She slowly turned around and when she saw his face, she scrambled backwards till she was standing with her back against the jukebox.  
"Give me your money, and nothing will happen to you", the guy whispered.  
Even if the bar was loud, she could perfectly hear him. His low voice, full with hate, gave her goosebumps. She looked at him. He was wearing a black hoodie and a torned pants. His face was half hidden behind the hoodie, but his eyes glittered in the dark. Holy shit. She froze. She just couldn't help it. Her eyes lowered and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the knife in his hands. He slowly did a step forward.  
"I said… Give me your money…"  
Kiwi tried to control her breathing, but she could feel panic taking over. She had no idea why this guy made her so scared, but he did.  
"Say there, citizen. Why don't you just leave the lady alone?"  
Vinnie's voice. Also dangerously low. Kiwi blinked a few times and looked up. She saw Throttle, Modo and Vinnie standing behind the guy, ready to rumble. But this time, it was serious. She could tell.  
The guy slowly turned around. He looked at the mice from head to toe.  
"Oh yeah? And who's gonna make me?", he asked.  
There was a deadly silence. The mice stared at the guy, the guy stared back. Kiwi, who was trying to control her breathing, saw the mice tighten their muscles. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, hell broke loose.  
The guy suddenly whirled around and Kiwi saw the light reflecting on the knife, that was now high in the air. The guy stepped forward, while lowering the knife in one movement. Kiwi squeezed her eyes in a reflex, expecting to feel a lot of pain. But it didn't come. She suddenly smelled a all so familiar scent and she opened her eyes, just to see the knife ending up in Vinnie's right arm, who had jumped between them right before the knife could stab Kiwi.  
"NO!"  
But Vinnie was too angry to worry about his arm. He wanted to grab the guy, but his bro's were faster. Modo grabbed the criminal by the shoulder and whirled him around. Throttle was already raising his fist and punched him so hard in the face, he could feel the nose break against his knuckles. The guy went down, already unconscious when his body hit the floor. Vinnie turned around and grabbed Kiwi.  
"Sweetheart, are you alright?", he demanded.  
Kiwi looked at him with wide eyes, nodding her head. Her gaze landed on the knife in Vinnie's arm, right under his shoulder.  
"Jesus, Vin…", she stuttered.  
Vinnie's left hand reached for the knife, as if he wanted to pull it out, but suddenly Modo stood next to him and grabbed his hand.  
"Vinnie, don't! If you pull it out now, you'll certainly bleed to death, you hear me?"  
Vinnie suddenly gritted his teeth, as if he just now realized that there was a knife in his arm. His gaze lowered and he stared at it. At how his precious white fur turned red. He suddenly felt the pain and his legs became weak. He stumbled a few passes and he fell on his knees, dragging Kiwi with him.  
"That motherfucking…", he gasped, still staring at the knife.  
Kiwi was still looking in shock at the knife.  
Throttle quickly looked around him. They were drawing way too much attention. They needed to get outta here, before someone would call an ambulance or something.  
"Modo, grab Vinnie. We need to get outta here, now!"  
Modo helped Vinnie up by grabbing his left arm and swung it around his neck. His other arm wrapped around Vinnie's waist and he dragged his younger bro out outside. Kiwi and Throttle quickly followed them. Everybody stared at them till the door closed behind them.

When they got home, Vinnie slowly began to realize what this meant. He was wounded. He needed help. Medical help. The image of a filthy lab flashed before his eyes. Needles. A sharp scalpel. His face… He even smelled the chemical scent, combined with that weird scent of old blood... A humming voice filled his head, echoed against his skull...  
"NO!", he yelled and he yanked himself loose.  
Modo, at first too surprised at this sudden movement, quickly realized what was wrong. He grabbed the white furred mouse again, before he would pull the knife out of his arm. But Vinnie went ballistic. He pushed Modo away and because he was driven by agony and panic, even the big guy wasn't up against his strength. He flew against the wall and slid down, but he immediately jumped back on his feet. Throttle was standing on the other side of the room, trying to make Vinnie calm.  
Kiwi was staring at all this, pushing herself against the wall. She had never seen Vinnie like this. Not even the first time he was wounded. Maybe he hadn't that much time to process it all back then. But now he had. And he totally lost it.  
"Vincent, calm down, it will be okay, but you need help…", Throttle said carefully and grabbed Vinnie by the arm.  
But Vinnie yanked himself free.  
"NO! No, I can't do this man, never again. LET ME GO!", he screamed when Modo tackled him and pushed him on the ground on his back, to avoid the knife would be driven further into his flesh. Throttle grabbed the other side and helped his bro holding Vinnie on the ground. Modo's metal hand clamped Vinnie's chin, trying to forcing his bro to look at him.  
"Easy, little bro, easy…", but Vinnie didn't listen.  
He wrapped his tail around Modo's throat and gave a jerk. Modo lost his balance and landed on his back. Throttle tried to hold Vinnie down, but it was no use. The white furred mouse was so overwhelmed by panic, he probably didn't even knew what he was doing. He scrambled on his knees and pushed his tan furred bro away.  
Throttle landed on the table that was standing in the livingroom, and the whole thing collapsed, with Throttle still on top of it.. The tan furred mouse moaned, but got back on his feet. Modo was also standing again and they both were holding their hands in the air.  
"Okay, okay. Easy now, Vincent. We won't touch you. But you need help, little bro…", Throttle said with a soothing voice.  
Vinnie was breathing heavily, scrambling backwards.  
"No, no, no…", he mumbled, shaking his head. He looked at the knife.  
"No, everything is fine, don't you see? I'm fine…" and his left hand slowly reached at the knife.  
"Vincent, don't!", Throttle yelled, but it was too late.  
Vinnie pulled out the knife and blood splattered on his fur, his face and the floor. But Vinnie hardly seemed to notice. The knife clattered on the floor.  
"See? I'm fine! Just a little battle tattoo, nothing major, bro's", he said with a toneless voice. Tears were streaming over his face, his eyes were wide open, his breathing came out in rapid breaths.  
Throttle tried to come closer, but Vinnie's hand flew to his gun.  
"NO! Stay away from me!"  
Throttle immediately stopped and raised his hands again.  
"Okay, okay. But maybe we need to wash the blood away? You can't look studly with all that blood, now can you?", he asked almost desperate. But even this tactic didn't work right now.  
Vinnie shook his head. He looked like he was in some sort of trance. Maybe he was.  
"I… I…", he stuttered. "I'm fine… I'M FINE!", he suddenly screamed when he saw Throttle tried to get closer to him again.  
Kiwi finally recovered herself from the first shock. She slowly pushed herself off the wall and did a few steps in Vinnie's direction. But when she tried to walk past Modo, he gently took her arm.  
"He's not himself right now, Kiwi ma'am. It would kill him if he'd hurt you. Maybe you should…", but Kiwi lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's okay. I know what I'm doing… Listen, go to my room and grab my pills out of the top drawer of my nightstand. Take five of them, pulverize them and put the powder in a glass of water. Okay?"  
Modo gave her one more look, but then let her go and nodded. He quickly left the room.  
Throttle was still standing at the same place and Kiwi gave him a reassuring smile.  
Then, she slowly turned around to look at Vinnie, who was standing in the middle of the room. Blood was streaming down out of the wound in his arm and he had never looked this vulnerable. Tears were still dripping out of his eyes, but he hardly seemed to notice. His whole body was shaking and he was wobbling on his legs. His eyes were wide open and the look in it almost took Kiwi's breath away. But she recognized the look. It was all too familiar. She had seen that look in her own eyes, watching back at her through the mirror. Panic. Fear. Pain.  
She suddenly saw the image of his baby picture, that sweet, innocent look on his face, his eyes filled with love… She almost broke down, but she needed to stay strong. For Vinnie. He needed help. But her heart cried. God, Vinnie… what happened to you?

Step by step, she walked closer to the white furred mouse. When he saw what she was trying to do, he immediately grabbed his gun.  
"No. No, no, no, please, don't…", he whispered. He aimed the gun at her. "Stay away from me, please. I can't go back there…"  
"Kiwi, stop", Throttle ordered, but Kiwi shook her head.  
"Vinnie. Easy now. It's me. I'm not gonna hurt you. You're right, you're fine. Never looked better, love. I just wanna thank you for saving my life…", she said softly.  
Vinnie stared at her, his gun still aimed at her, but his hands were shaking.  
Kiwi took a deep breath. This had worked before. So maybe it would work again. She opened her mouth and started to sing, very soft.

" _When you feel you're alone… Cut off from this cruel world…"_

Vinnie breathed in sharply.

" _Your instinct is telling you to run… Listen to your heart…"_

He stared at her, his breathing became calmer.

" _Those angel voices… They'll sing to you, they'll be your guide… back home…"_

Kiwi slowly lifted her hand and lay it on Vinnie's hands that were still holding the gun.

" _When life leaves us blind… Love keeps us kind…"_

And she softly pushed his hands down. The gun fell out of his hands. Kiwi did the last few steps, while gently taking his hands.  
"It's okay, Vinnie. Nothing's gonna harm you… Not while I'm around…"  
The panic slowly faded in his eyes. The tears stopped. His breathing was calm again. But along with the panic, his adrenaline also ebbed away. He suddenly didn't had the strength to stand anymore and he fell on his knees. Kiwi kneeled down next to him.  
"Here, drink something. You look like you need it", she said with a smile. Modo gave her the glass of water and Vinnie slowly drank it empty.  
"That's it… Thank you, Vinnie. For saving my life. Again", she whispered.  
He looked up at her and raised his hand. He touched her cheek with so much tenderness, tears filled her eyes. But suddenly, he pulled it back. He looked at the glass, that was still in his hands. Then he looked back at Kiwi, his eyes fuming.  
"What did you gave me?", he demanded. He tried to get up, but he was already too dizzy.  
Throttle quickly kneeled down next to him and held his white furred bro.  
Kiwi looked at Vinnie with pleading eyes.  
"I'm sorry, Vinnie, but we had no choice. It's for your own good. You need help…"  
Vinnie shook his head, still fighting against the darkness that threatened to consume him.  
"No…No, no, no... I trusted you… How could you do this to me?", he whispered, right before his eyes rolled back in his head. His body completely relaxed and Throttle quickly caught his head before it would hit the ground.  
"I'm sorry, Vinnie…", Kiwi said so softly, Throttle almost missed it.  
There was a silence for a moment. But then, Kiwi looked up.  
"Okay, he's out. Grab some towels, we need to keep pressure on the wound", she ordered and Modo left the room again.  
"Very impressive, babe…", Throttle said softly.  
"Thanks. I guess…", she answered. She felt guilty. She betrayed him. But it was for his own good. She would do it again, if she had too.  
"Stay with him and if Modo returns, keep pressure on the wound. I'm gonna go call Ruby, okay?"

"So, what did he do this time, jumping off a building without a parachute?", Ruby asked when she walked into the livingroom. But when she saw all the blood, she stopped for a moment.  
"Okaaay… What the hell happened here? Having a late Halloween Party?"  
She marched over to Vinnie. He was still lying on the floor, completely out.  
Kiwi was sitting with him, his head on her lap.  
"He got stabbed rescuing me. Please, help him…", she sobbed. She couldn't stop crying. After she had done what needed to be done, she broke down.  
Ruby kneeled down next to Vinnie, quickly looking at the wound. Then, she lay a hand on Kiwi's arm.  
"I will help him, Kiwi. He will be fine. All the blood makes it look way worse than it really is."  
But Kiwi shook her head.  
"You didn't see him… He totally lost it. Jesus, that look in his eyes."  
Ruby nodded, already busy with cleaning the wound. She remembered Vinnie's reaction the first time she helped him. She grabbed a small razor blade and started to shave away the hairs around the wound.  
"Do you know anything about PTSS? Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?", she asked at Kiwi, without stopping.  
Throttle and Modo looked at each other. They were sitting on the couch, to give the ladies some space.  
"I only heard about it a few times…", Kiwi responded.  
"I worked with soldiers who suffered from PTSS. They see the most horrible things, going through the most traumatizing stuff... And most of them don't talk about it. They keep it all inside and don't give themselfs time to process it. Which makes complete sense, because it's just too hard to relive it. So they have this unresolved trauma, and some situations can trigger it. It literally brings them back to whatever had happened to them. It's crazy… I guess anysort of medical help is the trigger of your white furred friend over here. He fits the profile. Not that I really know him, but I can take a pretty good guess. Not a big talker, this one."  
Kiwi said nothing. It made sense, though.  
"And how can we help him?". Modo suddenly asked.  
Ruby cleaned the wound one more time and grabbed her suture material.  
"You can't. The damage is already been done."  
She started to stitch the wound. Everybody was very quiet, deep in thoughts about what Ruby just had told them.  
"There", Ruby said and wrapped a bandage around Vinnie's arm. She looked at Kiwi.  
"Make sure to change the bandage once a day. Try to keep the wound dry, only clean it when it's necessary. And no heavy lifting for at least 4 weeks. His muscles need time to recover. Luckily, the knife didn't damage any vital parts. So he will be fine."  
Kiwi nodded.  
"Let's get him on the couch, big fella", Throttle said and they stood up.  
Ruby grabbed her stuff and helped Kiwi with cleaning up the mess. When they were done, Ruby looked at Kiwi.  
"I need to talk to you, outside. Now."  
Kiwi nodded. She was used at Ruby's direct communication. Ruby nodded at Throttle and Modo and marched outside, followed by Kiwi. When they were standing at Ruby's car, the redheaded woman turned around.  
"This is some pretty heavy shit to deal with, Kiwi. And I need to know if you're up to it. You are still recovering from a heavy depression, you're still having a lot of shit of your own to deal with. And I will not allow it that this whole thing with these mice is gonna drag you down again…"  
Kiwi stared at her.  
Ruby smiled and shook her head.  
"You think I'm blind? I see the way you look at him. You love him. So tell me, are you up to it? And don't even think about lying."  
"Yeah, I am. I've gotta admit, this whole thing tonight scared the shit out of me. But Ruby… They are the best that happened to me since my parents died. We are a family… a fucked up family maybe, but a family. When I was having a hard time, they were there for me. So, I'm gonna be there for them."  
Ruby nodded, clearly satisfied with that answer.  
"Good."  
She gave Kiwi a hug and opened her car.  
"Call me if you need me."  
"I will. Thanks, Ruby. I owe you."  
"You owe me nothing. Take care."  
And Ruby drove away. Kiwi smiled, despite the whole situation. That's Ruby for ya.

When she walked back inside, Vinnie was lying on one couch and Throttle and Modo were sitting on the other. She saw that they had grabbed mattresses, pillows and blankets. She sat down on the mattress closest to Vinnie.  
"Guess we're having a slumber party?", she asked with a little smile, a weak attempt to lighten up the mood.  
"I guess we are…", Throttle answered, giving her a little smile back.  
But then, they all fell silent again. Kiwi looked at Vinnie, who was still completely out. His fur on the right side was coloured red of his blood, splashes of blood on his face… She sighed. He was completely calm now, thanks to the drugs. His breathing was calm and steady, his body completely relaxed.  
She turned her gaze on Modo and Throttle. Both looked upset. But she couldn't blame them. She was upset too. This whole thing scared the shit out of her. To see Vinnie like that, without his ego, his charmes, his big mouth to hide after... To see him this vulnerable, this broken… Jesus. That would upset anybody. If not, they were made of stone or something.  
"Are you guys okay?", she asked, her voice shaky.  
They both shrugged, but said nothing.  
"What happened to him, guys? I know you don't know the whole story, but you must know something…"  
Throttle sighed and lay down on the mattress.  
"It's not…", but Kiwi interrupted him.  
"Listen, I know it's not your story to tell, but come on. Tonight proves again that it's obvious Vinnie is probably never gonna tell what happened. I just… I think I deserve an explanation after all this... "  
"She's right, bro…", Modo opened his mouth for the first time after a long time. His voice was lower than usual. He was obviously disconcerted about this whole thing that had happened.  
Throttle sat up straight again and looked at Kiwi.  
"Look, now it's not the time to tell our whole history, but I will tell you what I think that happened. "  
"Fair enough", Kiwi said, looking at Vinnie before she turned her attention back on the tan furred mouse.  
"I already told you we got hurt pretty badly in war. Modo's arm, my eyes, Vinnie's face… Well, it all happened at the same time. We were fighting a battle, but it all went horribly wrong when a huge rocket exploded right before us and we got caught in the explosion. Next thing I know is that we wake up in this lab, with Karbunkle doing tests on us."  
Modo took over the word.  
"Throttle was blind like a cave rat, I had this new arm and Vinnie was nowhere to be seen. When we escaped, thanks to my new arm, we found him in a room next to ours, a filthy lab, blood everywhere… man… His face was wrapped in a thick bandage, so where parts of his arms and legs, so we couldn't see the damage. But that wasn't first priority, right? We needed to get out of there. He was drugged, so I took him with me. When we were back at the base, he woke up, screaming loud, but when he saw he was safe, he calmed down. We tried to figure out what had happened to him, but he didn't say a word about it… The first days he kept humming this song we never heard before, but after that, he pretended the whole thing never happened."  
"My guess is that someone messed with him in that lab. But we don't know what exactly happened."  
"But who? It can't be Karbunkle, otherwise we would have noticed", Kiwi said, rubbing her chin.  
"No, I think it was someone else. But who? No idea…", Throttle sighed. He looked at Kiwi.  
"Look, this is all we know. Ever since that happened, he freaks out when someone even suggests to go see a doctor when he's wounded. Luckily, after this he never got that banged up anymore, till that day he broke his arm and today. He allows Modo to treat the small wounds."  
"But who treated his wounds after you guys got hurt so badly?", Kiwi asked.  
Throttle shared a quick look with Modo.  
"There was eh… there was someone he trusted enough, back then. She knew how to handle it. She's the only one who has seen his face, after… well. She gave him the mask. He never took it off since then."  
Kiwi said nothing, biting on her lower lip, but immediately regretted that. The cut in it started to bleed again and she pushed the sleeve of her sweater against it. She remembered her conversation with Throttle a few weeks ago.

" _There was someone, a long time ago…"_

Kiwi wondered what happened to her, but she didn't ask. She knew Throttle wasn't gonna tell her. That was up to Vinnie.  
"Jesus, guys… I don't know what to say…", she whispered.  
Tears filled her eyes. God. She felt so sorry for them. They just didn't deserve all this shit that had happened to them. But then again, who did? Well, the Plutarkians. They did deserve this shit. If it wasn't for them, the mice could have a happy life, in peace, on Mars, where they belonged. But then she would never had met them… Argh, shut up. That's the most selfish thing to think.  
She suddenly felt so tired. A huge yawn escaped her mouth.  
"Try to sleep, babe. We'll keep an eye on him", Throttle said, also lying down again.  
Kiwi nodded and crawled under the blanket. She looked one more time at Vinnie. And she couldn't help herself wondering how he was gonna wake up.

" _I trusted you…"_

She just hoped that this wasn't gonna change anything between them. Because she knew one thing; she needed him.

* * *

Oh my dear holy Mothers of Mars. Poor Vinnie.  
How is he gonna wake up? What will happen next? And are we gonna find out what really happened to him?  
Well, guess you'll have to stay tuned *wink wink*

Please review, I'm dying to know your opinion about this one. Good or bad.

Thanks for reading my story!  
Later!


	21. Chapter 20

You guys... Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad to hear you guys liked it.  
Really appreciate it.

So, I won't hold you up any longer, time to read how Vinnie wakes up.  
Oh, just one more thing... There is one real heavy scene in this one.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty**

His head was killing him. His mouth was dry. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. His eyes were burning, just like his throat, like he had cried. He was lying on the couch and saw his bro's and Kiwi lying on the floor. He shook his head in confusion, but he just wished he hadn't. It felt like a thousand hammers were slamming against his skull.  
Suddenly, the smell of blood filled his nose. His eyes searched for the source, but when he found it, it wasn't what he had expected at all. His precious white fur was soaked with blood. He jerked upright.  
"What the…"  
He felt the pain in his right arm and saw the bandage that was wrapped around it.  
Vinnie almost started to panic, but then he saw a tan furred hand on his shoulder and he looked up at his bro.  
"What happened, Throttle?", he asked, his voice raw and hoarse.  
"You got stabbed in the bar, don't you remember?", his tan furred bro asked.  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes by hearing the tone of his voice. His older bro was upset. But why…  
He suddenly remembered the guy that attacked Kiwi, that he indeed ended up with a knife in his arm and that they drove back home. After that… nothing…  
"Yeah, I remember… I remember that we came home, but after that… well, it's all getting a little bit blurry…", Vinnie said slowly. He tried to remember, but his head was killing him. He looked at Kiwi, who was sleeping on the floor next to him.  
"Is she okay?", he asked. Man. Having a hole in your memorie sure sucked, alright…  
"She's fine. A little shaken. But she will pull through", Throttle said softly.  
Vinnie looked back at him.  
"What did I do?", he demanded. Something was wrong, he could tell.  
"You eh… You kinda freaked out when you realized you needed help…", Throttle said slowly, pointing at Vinnie's arm.  
Vinnie let himself fall back on his pillow, moaning.  
"Oh gosh, please tell me I was at least still cool and handsome…".  
Throttle sighed.  
"You really shouldn't make jokes about this, Vincent. Let me be honest with you. You cried, yelled, tried to shot us, threw us against walls… Long story short, you totally lost it…"  
Vinnie stared at him. Wow. Well, this was awkward.  
"Okay… And how did this get on my arm then?", he asked, while pointing at the bandage.  
"Ruby came over. She helped you. Stitched the wound."  
"Great. Just great. A beautiful woman comes over, probably had to tie me up and I can't even remember… Story of my life…"  
"She didn't tie you up. We drugged you", Throttle said drily.  
"Oh… But that don't change the fact that I've missed it…"  
"Vincent, can you be serious for like five minutes, or is that too much to asked? This is serious, man. You scared the shit out of all of us…", Throttle said, slightly annoyed.  
Vinnie thought about it for a second. He looked at Throttle, a hit of panic in his eyes.  
"Yeah, it's too much to ask. Let me tell you my point of view; I wake up, having a black hole in my memory, and here you are, telling me I apparently lost my shit, even attacked you guys and I really have no idea what you're talking about! Geez, if I take this too serious, I fucking lose my shit again, man!"  
"Calm down, Vincent. Kiwi is finally sleeping. Don't want to wake her", Throttle warned him. "Can you walk?"  
"I got stabbed in the arm, not my leg. Of course I can walk, god dammit", Vinnie muttered under his breath, cranky like a old man.  
But Throttle ignored his attitude.  
"Let's go outside then, before she wakes up."  
Vinnie slowly got up, took a few deep breaths and followed Throttle outside, still a little unstable.  
"Man, I look like fucking Frankenstein", he mumbled, looking at all the blood on his body.  
They sat down in the grass.  
"Look, Vin… I don't even know what to say, actually…", Throttle sighed.  
Vinnie glanced at him. Jesus, was it really that bad? That even his fearless leader couldn't find the words? Ugh. This was almost humiliating.  
"Why don't we just forget about this whole thing, okay?", Vinnie tried, clapping Throttle on the back. But as expected, Throttle shook his head.  
"I can't, man. What if it happens again, and you'll die because we can't help you?"  
Vinnie fell silent. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. He needed to know. He went back to the moment they came home. He concentrated, but nothing. He suddenly got a idea.  
"Throttle, can you do your mind trick stuff on me? Please, man, I need to know.. It's so weird to have this hole in my memory, really, it sucks, big time…"  
"I don't know, bro.. Maybe it triggers something…", Throttle said cautiously.  
"Well, shoot me if it does, sweetheart. But I need to know."  
"Fine…"  
"I'll take back the shooting part, though", Vinnie said quickly.  
Throttle chuckled and closed his eyes. His antenna's started to glow red and he made contact with Vinnie's antenna's.  
He concentrated and went back to the moment they came home. But while he was playing the video for Vinnie, sort of speak of course, he felt something change. He suddenly could feel what Vinnie felt. And he suddenly could see what Vinnie saw. Throttle tried to stop it, he didn't want to look around in Vinnie's head without his younger bro knowing, but it was no use. It just happened. Like Vinnie's mind was desperate of showing him this particular memory. Throttle tried to break the connection, but it was too late.

 _Flashback_

Vinnie slowly opened his eyes. He looked around him, trying to see where he was. It was a lab, he could tell. But a filthy one. There were stains on the wall, the ceiling was moldy and the whole room was filled with the smell of death, combined with disinfectants. Shit. What happened? All he could remember was the explosion. After that, nothing… His body hurted, he could feel the wounds on his legs and arms, but the pain was nothing compared to the pain in his face. The whole right side burned, like it was on fire.  
"What the…", he gasped, squeezing his eyes.  
His bro's… Stoker… Shit, did they make it? Why was he here, all alone? Did that mean he was the only one who'd survived? Fuck. No. Don't make assumptions. They are fine until proven otherwise. But for now, he needed to get outta here. He tried to get up, but noticed that something was holding him back. He looked at his hands. Big, leather belts around his wrists. His gaze fell on his feet. Same story. Even his tail was tied up. He tensed his muscles, gritting his teeth in a attempt to ignore the pain in his body and yanked at the belts. But he soon gave up. This was no use. The belts were never gonna break. He was stuck here.  
Slowly, he could feel panic trying to take over his body. Not really macho mouse cool, but this was scary, alright, even for him. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. Panic never helped anyone. Keep your cool, macho mouse.  
Suddenly, the door flew open. He lifted his head and saw a thin Plutarkian walking in. What? There were thin Plutarkians? Who would've thought..  
The fish was wearing a lab coat with bloodstains on it and a big glasses on his nose. He looked at Vinnie and a smile appeared on his face. Vinnie stared at the fish. He had never seen a smile that scary. Not that the guy missed any teeth or something, no, not that kinda scary. It was the way how his whole face twisted into this bizarre smirk, in combination with that look in his eyes.  
Insanity.  
Oh shit.  
"Aaahh, you're finally awake!", the fish said happily with a high, cracking voice.  
Vinnie could feel his fur standing up straight by hearing the voice. He wasn't that easily impressed by something. But this creature somehow scared the shit out of him.  
"It took you long enough, mouse. But it's okay! We can finally start now", the small fish said, still smiling. He was now standing with his back towards Vinnie, preparing something Vinnie couldn't see.  
"Start with what?", Vinnie asked, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer.  
"Surgery, of course, you silly mouse. I need to practise when my patients are awake…"  
"Surge...What? What the fuck are you talking about? Why would you do that?", Vinnie asked, confused. But his heart was already pounding faster.  
"Must there always be a reason?", the small fish asked back, but turned around with a eager expression on his face. Vinnie wrinkled his nose.  
"Eh… never mind… I think I don't even wanna know…"  
"Okay, fine! If you insist! I always wanted to be a doctor. But they always said I wasn't good enough. But with the High Chairman as our leader, I got the opportunity to live my dream. I even can pick my own patients!", and the small fish laughed maniacally while turning his back to Vinnie again. "And you mice are such good patients. Takes so long before you break, hihihihi!"  
Vinnie noticed his breathing became heavier. But he couldn't let him see that he was scared.  
"You're not gonna break this mouse, sweetheart."  
The fish turned around and looked at him, still that spooky smile on his face. He giggled, a weird and unnatural sound that echoed against the walls.  
"They all say that, you know? But they always do. Break."  
Vinnie shivered. He needed to get outta here… He started to pull on the belts again, harder this time.  
But the fish only giggled again.  
"You can't escape, silly you. You are mine. Mine, mine, mine!", he sang happily. He grabbed a plate full with scalpels and other tools Vinnie didn't even want to know what he was gonna do with it. The fish was humming and set the plate the table that was standing next to Vinnie.  
Vinnie's eyes were flying in every direction, trying to find a way to escape this horrible faith.  
"Are you scared, mouse?", the fish asked softly. "You don't need to be scared! I only want to help you… I mean, the wounds on your face look really bad. Don't you want my help?" and he giggled again.  
Vinnie spit in his face.  
"No, I don't! Let me go. NOW!"  
The fish wiped off his face and started humming again. He focussed his attention on his tools again. He sorted them and lay them in a neat row.  
"Oh, oh, oh, you… silly you. You can only leave this room when you're healed. Or death… You know, truth to be told… I'm not really a good doctor. No patient has ever left this room alive... I understand now why they wouldn't want me. But it doesn't matter. I'll just keep practising. One day, I will become a fine doctor", he told Vinnie.  
"You're crazy, that's what you are!", Vinnie responded with a low voice. The small fish ignored him. But he suddenly turned around.  
"Do you wanna know why I've picked you?", he asked, almost bouncing at his feet.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
"No. But by the looks of things, you're gonna tell me anyway…"  
"Oh, you're funny, hihihi! Well, I saw you lying between the other wounded, and…", but Vinnie interrupted him.  
"Other wounded? What do you mean? Are you talking about my friends?", he demanded.  
The fish looked kinda disappointed.  
"I guess… But who cares about your friends? I was just gonna tell you why I've picked you!"  
"I don't care why you've picked me, but I do care about my friends. Tell me, are they alright?"  
"No, no, no, you, you, you silly you!", the fish sang and giggled. Vinnie tried to get up as far as his bounds let him.  
"I asked you a simple question, sweetheart. Are they alright?", he spit out in anger.  
"One lost his arm, the other his eyes and the last one his tail, but they are in good hands with Dr. Karbunkle. He teached me some things, Dr. Karbunkle. He's a true genius. He will fix them. Really fix them! Hihihi!"  
"What do you mean, fix them?"  
"You are sick in the head, he told me. You're fighting us like we're your enemies. But all we want is to fight side by side. He's gonna make your friends better. So they will join us. You will too, when I fixed you!"  
Vinnie dropped back on his back. Shit. He was fucked. Just like Modo and Throttle. And Stoker.  
"Well, one thing is for sure. You're the one that ain't straight in the head, you fucking moron."  
But the small fish only giggled and turned back his attention on his tools.  
"Let's begin. First, I need to give you a local anesthetic. But since I don't have that, I will only pretend" and he grabbed a huge syringe with an even bigger needle on it.  
Vinnie's eyes grew big and he tried to get out of range.  
"No, no, no! Get that thing away from me!", he yelled, but it was no use.  
The fish grabbed him by the chin. Vinnie tried to get out of his grip, but he was surprisingly strong for the small fish he was.  
"Hold still, hold still, otherwise this will end up in your eye", he giggled.  
Vinnie froze and looked at the needle right before his eyes. This couldn't be happening, right? But it did. The fish pushed the needle into the right side of his face. Vinnie opened his mouth and let out a scream in pain. The small fish almost bounced on his feet, still pushing the needle further into Vinnie's face. Tears jumped in Vinnie's eyes and he suddenly felt the needle pricking in his tongue.  
"Whoops, too far, too far", the fish hummed and pulled the needle back out.  
Blood filled Vinnie's mouth and he spit it out.  
"God dammit, fucking idiot!", he moaned.  
"Things can go wrong, it's okay. You need to make mistakes to learn from them", the fish smiled and again, he pushed the big needle in Vinnie's face. Vinnie clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes. Jesus, this whole thing just felt like a bad dream. Not real. But the pain was real.  
The small fish pulled back the needle and started over. After ten times or so, he lay the syringe back on the plate. Vinnie was breathing heavily and looked at the small fish with fuming eyes.  
"Tell me, you little shrimp. What's your name?", he asked between clenched teeth, his voice dangerously low.  
"Jester. Why do you wanna know? Are we going to be friends?" and Jester looked hopeful at Vinnie. But the white furred mouse slowly shook his head.  
"No. I just wanna know your name, because if I get outta here, and believe me I will, I know who to look for. Because I can promise you one thing... Jester. You are gonna pay for this. I will look for you, I will find you and I will fucking kill you. Slowly. Painfully. You, my friend, are messing with the wrong mouse…"  
Jester fell silent for a moment, but then giggled.  
"So we are friends?"  
Vinnie felt his stomach turning upside down by hearing that giggle again.  
Jester focussed on his task again.  
"So, now that you're sedated…", but Vinnie roared in anger.  
"I'M NOT SEDATED, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"  
"... we can continue the surgery", Jester continued unperturbed and he grabbed a huge scalpel.  
Vinnie could see old blood sticking at the blade.  
Holy fucking moly.  
"We need to remove the burned flesh, because that's gonna die off sooner or later. After that, we can maybe stitch it together. Otherwise, we will just have to let it heal, but that will give some major ugly scars… hihihi."  
Panic took over. This stupid little fish was about to cut in his face. HIS face. And the only thing he could do was lying here, completely helpless. He couldn't stop him. Man, this was crazy, alright. Beyond crazy. Tears filled his eyes.  
"Please, don't do this, please…", he said softly, shaking his head. He felt the salt of his tears burning on the right side of his face. His pretty face. No…  
"Oh, stop it, you. I'm trying to help you", Jester said and raised his hand with the scalpel.  
Vinnie's eyes grew big and followed the scalpel down.  
"No…", he whispered.  
The pain was unbearable. He could feel the scalpel cut through his flesh, blood splattered around. Jester was humming and giggling and Vinnie screamed in pain. But the fish didn't stop and suddenly, Vinnie saw him something holding up in the air.  
"Look!", and he waved it before Vinnie's face. "I did it! Burned skin, precisely removed, hihihi!"  
Vinnie could feel something click in his head. He went ballistic. He screamed until his throat was raw and his voice hoarse. He was pulling on the belts with so much strength, he could feel them cut into his flesh. But it was no use. It was no goddamn use.  
Jester waited patiently till he was done.  
"Easy now, mousie. Things will be okay!"  
But Vinnie shook his head. The pain in the right side of his face was unbearable. The fact that this crazy ass fish was holding up a piece of his face like it was some sort of trophy, made him sick to the stomach. The sound of the humming and giggling made him wanna jump off a cliff. He could feel his stomach turn and he gagged. But nothing came out. He spit out the blood that was streaming in his mouth, before he would choke in it. But dying suddenly sounded so good. So peaceful…  
Jester grabbed his head again.  
"Let's continue. We're far from done here. You're face got pretty banged up in this explosion", and he started cutting again.  
Vinnie moaned, the pain was too much. He felt the world was starting to fade away. And with the humming of Jester echoing through his head, Vinnie lost consciousness.

 _Present_

Throttle landed on his back, breathing heavily. He still felt the pain in his face, his heart was almost exploding in his chest. He raised his hand and touched the right side of his face. He felt something wet, but no blood. Tears. Shit. Slowly, the pain started to fade away and he stared at Vinnie.  
His white furred bro looked just as shocked, but probably because he'd just seen what he had done last night. Throttle knew he was the only one who had relieved this memory. He was still breathing heavily, in shock about what he'd just seen and felt.  
Vinnie looked at him, his eyes wide open.  
"I eh… ", he started, but closed his mouth when he saw the look on Throttle's face.  
"Jesus, Vin…", Throttle breathed, still lying on his back, staring at his bro. He slowly sat up straight, trying to calm down. But that was hard. He had just relived the most traumatizing moment in Vinnie's life. Holy shit. No wonder his bro wanted nothing do with medical help anymore.  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes, looking at his bro.  
"Throttle, are you okay?", he asked, studying his bro's face. His bro was there when he freaked out, right? So why was he so shocked of seeing it again? Unless…  
"What did you see?", he suddenly demanded, grabbing Throttle by his leather jacket.  
Throttle took a few deep breaths, still very upset.  
"Throttle! What… did… you… see?", Vinnie growled between clenched teeth.  
Throttle looked at him, and finally found his voice again.  
"I… I'm sorry, I… holy shit…"  
Vinnie knew enough. Throttle didn't get upset that easily. Seeing him like this, made very clear what he had seen.  
"God DAMMIT, Throttle! Why would you do that?", he spit out and pushed his older bro away. Throttle grabbed him by the arm.  
"Vincent, listen. I'm sorry, okay, but I didn't do this on purpose. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't… NO, listen!", he called out when Vinnie wanted to say something.  
"I'm really sorry, but I understand now. It all makes perfectly sense now. God, Vinnie, I am so sorry that this happened to you… That I wasn't there to protect you. And I will promise you one thing; if we ever find that stinkface, we will kill him. We will make him pay, you hear me?"  
Vinnie stared at him, somehow impressed by the intensity Throttle was talking to him.  
"O-okay… okay…"  
Throttle let him go, still in shock.

"Vinnie?"  
Kiwi.  
Vinnie turned around and saw her standing in the doorway, a worried look on her face. He took a deep breath and smiled at her.  
"Hey, sweetheart…"  
She slowly walked towards him, not knowing how he was gonna react. She sat down next to him, but Vinnie pulled her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She crawled against him, pushing her nose in his fur that was still clean.  
Throttle looked at them and smiled, still a little sad though. He climbed on his feet.  
"I'll go check on Modo", and he walked inside.  
Kiwi started to cry again, holding Vinnie tightly. God, she was so scared he was gonna be mad at her.  
"Hey, hey, hey, sweetheart. Why the tears?", he whispered, stroking her hair.  
"I'm so sorry, Vinnie", she sobbed, grabbing his fur.  
"Sorry for what?", he asked, confusion in his voice.  
"For drugging you…"  
Vinnie gently untangled himself so he could look her in the eye.  
"Sweetheart… it's okay…", he breathed and wiped away her tears with his thumb.  
"But you… you said… and then…", Kiwi stuttered, overwhelmed by emotions.  
"Hey, hey. I know what I said. And I should be the one to say sorry. I didn't mean it, doll… I wasn't exactly in the world of the living", and he chuckled nervously.  
But Kiwi couldn't stop crying. She felt so sorry for him, that he was damaged this bad because of a war. A useless war. She couldn't get the image of him as a baby out her mind. He was so full with love, so pure. He just didn't deserve this shit. His major panic attack also brought back memories she didn't want to think about. The traumatic loss of her parents. Her suicide attempt. God, why did all this stuff happened to her? And to him? Live could be so unfair sometimes…

Vinnie pulled her back against him and just held her tightly. He stroked her hair and buried his nose in it. Her scent made him feel calm. He loved it. Like he loved everything about this girl. It broke his heart that she had to see him like this. He never wanted any of this. And now Throttle knew… Gosh… He felt naked. Vulnerable like never before. The walls he had build around him so nobody could touch him, were slowly crumbling and there was nothing he could do about it. God dammit…  
Kiwi slowly calmed down a little bit. She looked up at Vinnie, who looked down at her with a sadness she hadn't seen before.  
"Vinnie… What happened to you? What happened to you that you are…", she trailed off, not sure if she would trigger something again. But she had to ask.  
Vinnie's muscles tensed. She quickly lay her hands against his cheeks..  
"You don't have to tell me, Vinnie. If it's too much, if it's gonna drag you back, then don't…"  
Vinnie lay his hands on her hers and slowly pushed them down. But he held them. He didn't look at her. But he did answer her question.  
"I was tortured by a Plutarkian fish named Jester. And one day, I will end his miserable life", he said with a toneless voice. But the message was loud and clear.  
Kiwi felt a shiver going through her spine. Jesus…  
He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and Kiwi breathed in sharply. She looked him in the eye and the look in his eyes took her off guard.  
"Please, don't force me to talk about it, I just can't okay? This is the first time I even say his name out loud and only that small detail… I… ", he stuttered, already on his way to another major panic attack.  
Kiwi quickly shook her head.  
"You don't have to, Vinnie, sshhh… It's okay. Easy now…"  
Vinnie was staring at her, breathing heavily. And before she even could process it, he pressed his lips on hers and kissed her with a hunger that immediately fired her desire. She kissed him back eagerly and he lifted her up and lay her down on her back in the cool grass. He pressed his body against hers, leaning on his arms to avoid his weight was gonna crush her. Pain jolted through his right arm, but he hardly noticed. She moaned and grabbed his lower body, pushing him even harder against her. His hand crawled under her shirt and Kiwi gasped against his neck. She reclaimed his mouth, feeling goosebumps all over her body because of his hand touching her naked skin. But again, he stopped. Dammit. They both opened their eyes and Vinnie sighed.  
"Damn, you sure know how to drive a guy crazy, sweetheart…"  
Kiwi smiled at him.  
"Yeah, well… You do the same to me…"  
Vinnie slowly got back on his feet, lifting her up. He sat her back on her feet and tucked her hair behind her ear.  
"Go shower, sweetheart. You got my blood all over you. I'm gonna do the same."  
"Can't we just go shower together?", she asked, her voice shaky. She couldn't believe she just said that.  
Vinnie smiled.  
"Oh, if only you knew how tempting that offer is… But no. We've agreed to take things slow. And I just know I can't control myself if you're standing naked in front of me", and he gave her that charming, arrogant smile she loved so much. "I can already hardly control myself when you're dressed, soooo…"  
She sighed, disappointment written on her face.  
"But maybe I don't want you to control yourself…", she whispered, but Vinnie kissed her gently on her lips.  
"Oh yes, you do, sweetheart. Believe me. Now, go."  
Kiwi looked at him one more time and turned around to walk back inside. But then, she turned around and pointed at the bandage.  
"You need to keep the wound dry."  
Vinnie nodded and saluted.  
"Yes ma'am!"  
Kiwi rolled her eyes and walked back inside, while Vinnie walked to the guest house. When she walked up the stairs, she smiled at herself. This was one fucked up day. A lot could happen in just one day. But no matter how fucked up it all was, it was a good day. She finally knew how Vinnie felt about her. She finally knew what had happened to him, sorta. And no matter how bad she felt for him, no matter how it broke her heart that he had to go through all that, she was glad she knew now. Because he finally had opened up to her. And that was a good thing. It could be the start of something beautiful. Oh boy. If only she knew…

The next few days, the mice and Kiwi took it slow. They needed some time to process everything that had happened. Throttle, the first day still very upset, slowly recovered and transformed back into his usual calm self. Modo, who hadn't seen the memory, was already shocked enough after what Throttle had told him. But they both were somehow glad they finally knew now. It helped them understand. And even if there still wasn't a solution for the problem, they all let it rest for now.  
Vinnie was also a little bit more quiet than usual, but that was a perfectly logical outcome after everything that happened. He tried to take it slow because of his wound, but he had a hard time doing so. Kiwi was there by his side to prevent him from doing something stupid. Nothing more had happened between them, and when they weren't alone, they even behaved like nothing had changed. But there were small signes. Signes only they understood. But they just weren't ready to tell Modo and Throttle yet. They wanted to keep it for themselves for now.  
Two weeks later.  
Vinnie's wound was all healed and the stitches were gone. Luckily, Ruby had been smart enough to use soluble sutures, so they didn't had to be removed. Kiwi was trying to tell him that he needed to take things slow for at least another two weeks, but Vinnie didn't want to hear it. He was fine. The pain was gone. He just wanted to forget about the whole thing, the faster, the better.

That night, Limburger was up to something. They didn't knew what, but Kiwi had found out he had a plan. So, the mice jumped at their bikes and drove to LP. They were greeted by a huge army of goons, so that kinda confirmed the big cheese was indeed planning something.  
After they won the first round, the mice high fived.  
"Hahaaaa, leading the lead!", Modo rumbled.  
"In both skill and good looks", Vinnie laughed.  
But a laser hit the floor closeby them. Looks like the goons were ready for round two.  
"Please, please, autographs later, bro's", Throttle smiled. "We gotta go get to the big cheese."  
The mice turned their bikes and faced the goons that were sitting in their buggies, right in front of LP.  
The mice revved their bikes and drove towards them.  
"What kinda scheme you think is old stinklips up to now?", Modo asked.  
"You know it's gotta be bigger than even Limburger's fat old…", but before Vinnie could finish his sentence, a laser hit the floor and he needed to focus to avoid he was gonna crash.  
"That's it. Nobody's allowed to interrupt me when I'm saying my lines", he growled when he had his bike back under control and a huge rocket flew through the air. The goon who had shot the laser, quickly left his buggy and ran away. The rocket exploded and the explosion was deafening. It took out most of the goons.  
Vinnie smiled very satisfied, but suddenly something caught his eye. He pointed up.  
"Looks like the big cheese is bailing, bro's."  
Throttle and Modo also looked up and saw a helicopter leaving the rooftop from LP.  
"Uh oh… and I think I know why…", Modo said. A huge asteroid was slowly coming closer to Earth.  
"Man… Limburger has pulled some big stunts in the past…", Throttle said, staring at the sky.  
"...but this one is sure to make a major impact!", Vinnie finished.

Suddenly, a loud voice asked for their attention.  
"Come on, yous mice! Me and my goons are gonna flatten you!"  
They looked in front of them and saw Greasepit standing with the leftover goons.  
"Looks bad, bro's…", Throttle said with a low voice.  
"The only thing that's bad around here, is us!", Vinnie protested, looking at his leader.  
"And nobody pound Chitown while we're around!", Modo agreed.  
"Let's do it! It's time to ROCK…", Throttle started, but before they could finish, they suddenly heard Kiwi's voice through a megaphone.  
"WAIT! Hey, goony goons!"  
The mice looked beside them and there she was. She was pointing at the sky, her face twisted in anger.  
"Look at the sky, you stupid dirtbags! Your boss is bringing down a ice asteroid…"  
The goons and Greasepit looked up, shock on their faces. They looked at the helicopter that was leaving the roof.  
"See? He's already getting his oversized butt to safety… How 'bout you?"  
Greasepit stared at her for a moment, but then grabbed his pocket watch.  
"Geez! Whatta you know… Break time, yous goons!" and they all fled the scene.  
The mice stared at Kiwi, who walked over to them, a smile on her face.  
"Eh… Thanks… Kiwi. I guess…", Throttle said drily.  
"Guess we're not gonna go down in a blazy glory after all…", Modo said, a little bit disappointed and pushed his cannon back in his arm.  
"Yiiiaaaoowwww! MAN! What am I gonna do with all this adrenaline?", Vinnie yelled, his body almost shaking.  
Modo and Throttle smiled, shaking their heads.  
Kiwi smiled too and jumped behind him on his bike, putting on her helmet.  
"The usual. Save the city", she smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist. She could feel how tensed he was. Poor guy.  
"Come on, hotshot. Before we're all gonna be frozen street pizza", and she closed Vinnie's visor. He looked over his shoulder and winked at her.  
"I heard that. Let's ROCK…. and RIDE!", Throttle yelled and they fired their jets. They drove up and stopped at the roof of LP.  
"There's the trouble", Throttle said, pointing at a machine that was standing on the roof. It had a huge magnet on it and it was obvious this was the machine that was pulling the asteroid towards Earth.  
"Well, I've got a trouble shooter right here", Vinnie cheered and cannons popped out of his bike.  
"VINNIE, NO!", Kiwi yelled before he could shout and jumped off his bike. She forced him to look at her.  
"Listen, blowing the machine won't help. That asteroid is already falling towards us. We need to find a way to reverse it", and she kneeled down next to the machine. Vinnie sighed heavily and leaned on his windshield.  
"Ugh. First the megaphone. Now this. You can be so frustrating sometimes…", but then he stepped off his bike and tried to help her to find a way to stop this.  
Modo was standing on the other side, rubbing his chin. He saw a handle, now standing at 'forward'. But at the bottom; 'reverse'.  
"Hmmm… I wonder… My momma always said; 'follow directions…'" and he switched the handle. The machine made a lot of noise, and suddenly, the red light that was pulling on the asteroid, turned blue and shot the huge ice fragment back into space.  
Throttle, Vinnie and Kiwi stared at it and then at Modo, who was smiling very smugly.  
"You did it! Nice save, bro!", Vinnie cheered and gave his bro a high five.  
Throttle agreed, just like Kiwi.  
"Good, now that threat is gone… Kiwi. Why are you here? What were you thinking? You could've got hurt with that stunt with the megaphone!", Throttle lectured the human girl. But she smiled. She was getting used to Throttle's lectures. And she didn't care anymore. She knew now it wasn't because they didn't want her. It was because they cared about her. But she wasn't stupid.  
"Oh come on, Throttle, lighten up. I knew what I was doing. I just figured, as soon as I found out what Limburger was up to, you could use a little help. And I was right on time!"  
Vinnie snickered. That was his girl. Although, Throttle was right. She did could've get hurt. But she didn't. And the fact that she was a star in disobeying direct orders, well… He could only appreciate that.

But before anybody could say anything, the helicopter flew towards them and opened fire. They quickly jumped out of the way.  
Vinnie grabbed Kiwi and forced her to look at him.  
"Sweetheart, as much as I like your stubbornness, now is the time to listen. Go get yourself into safety, now!", and he quickly gave her a kiss. He pushed her towards the door that led to the stairs.  
"Wait downstairs at safe distance, okay? We will come get you when we're done here."  
Kiwi nodded. But when Vinnie turned around, she quickly grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around. She gave him a short, but passionate kiss.  
"Go get them, tiger", she purred and pushed him away. Vinnie winked at her and quickly ran to his bike.  
"Yeah! Looks like we got us a fish to fry!", he cheered happily and revved his engine.  
His bro's joined him and they fired their jets. They flew into the air, straight towards the helicopter, who was still firing at them.  
"AU! Faster than a speeding bullet…", Vinnie started.  
"Leaping tall buildings in a single jump!", Modo continued.  
"Is it a bird?", Throttle asked, a smile on his face.  
"Is it a plane?", Vinnie snickered.  
"Nope! It's…", Modo laughed.  
"...TAIL WHIPPIN' TIIIIME!", they sang in unison, pumping their fists into the air.  
They were finally close to the helicopter, but it took a sudden turn and the mice missed.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder.  
"Looks like the big one is getting away!"  
"Not when we got lines to cast!", Throttle said.  
"YIIHAAA! Time to set our hooks into that stinkfish!", Modo cheered.  
They all pushed a button and ropes flew out of the back of their bikes. The hooks clung to the helicopter and the mice started to climb up.  
Vinnie, still overwhelmed with adrenaline, tried to be there first.  
"AAOOWW, race ya to the top!"  
"You wombats are starting to get above yourselves! It's high time you got back down to earth!", they suddenly heard Limburger yelling. They looked up and saw him standing in the opening from the helicopter with a gun in his hand. He opened fire.  
"Wooaoow, this chunky cheese ball wants to ground us!", Vinnie yelled, while he avoided the shots.  
"Yeah? Well, ain't no Plutarkian bringing me down", Modo growled and fired his armcannon. He hit the gun in Limburger's hands and the fish flew back inside because of the force.  
The mice climbed further, and when they reached the helicopter, Vinnie wrapped his tail around one of the rods of the landing gear.  
"We gotta get this bird back on the ground", he smiled and let go off the rope.  
"Hey, how about a leg up, bro? If you don't mind sharing the glory, that is…", Throttle chuckled, still hanging on the rope.  
"Hey hey! Let go off my ego", Vinnie cheered. "One leg up, coming up!" and he cupped his hands.  
Throttle swung towards him and set his foot in Vinnie's cupped hands.  
"Alley… oop!" and Vinnie pushed him up. Throttle landed on the top of the helicopter.  
"Ah, I wonder if I still have a… delicate touch with machines", he said while activating his knuck knocks. He clenched his fist and punched a hole into the the roof. The blades stopped spinning and the helicopter started to fall down.  
Vinnie finally saw a way to release a little bit of his adrenaline. He unwrapped his tail and dove down.  
"Heeeee diiiiives!", he yelled and made a somersault before grabbing the robe.  
"The women swooooooon", he laughed while whirling down the rope to his bike. He jumped on the seat. "Aaooww, am I inspiring, or what? HAHA!"  
He fired his jets.  
"Bikes! FIRE!", he laughed almost hysterical at his bro's bikes and they did what he ordered.  
Vinnie steered his and the other two bikes towards a building and landed on the roof. Throttle and Modo quickly jumped off the helicopter and the whole thing crashed against the building. Karbunkle flew out and landed on the ground, but Limburger was still lying in the cockpit.  
"This hasn't been a very good day…", he sighed.  
Modo and Throttle climbed back on the helicopter and Modo grabbed Limburger and pulled him out of it.  
"Yeah? Well, it's about to get worse!", he growled, shaking Limburger.  
"Bingo, cheese face. We got you at last..", Throttle said, his voice low.  
"And you're going back to Mars, to face the music!", Modo finished.  
Limburger looked up at him, sweat dripping of his face.  
"Oh my…"

The mice picked up Kiwi, who was waiting for them at the pavement closeby LP. Vinnie wrapped his tail around her and gently set her behind him. He squeezed his tail softly and looked over his shoulder, giving her a teasing smile. Kiwi saw something was up, she could see it by the look in his eyes, but she decided to ask later. She wrapped her arms around him and that was when she saw Limburger sitting in Throttle's sidecar.  
"What the...?", she asked and looked at Throttle, a questionable look on her face.  
"Yeah, we finally caught ourselves a fish, babe…", Throttle said, smiling. But he also had a strange look on his face.  
"Yeah and now we are gonna take him back to Mars. For trial!", Modo added. The gray furred giant was so caught up in the moment, he didn't thought about for a second what these words meant for the human girl that was sitting behind Vinnie.  
Kiwi breathed in sharply and the shock jolted through her whole body.  
"T- to Mars?", she stuttered. "You're really going back?"  
"Well… That's the plan, sweetheart. It was what we always meant to do… All we need is old stinkface his transporter…" Vinnie swallowed, trying to keep his cool. "Why? Gonna miss me?", he asked, looking over his shoulder with a arrogant smile on his face, but so much sadness in his eyes.  
"Are you crazy? It would be like a vacation around here… At least, till you'll get back… You are… coming back… right?", Kiwi tried to sound calm, but her throat squeezed tightly because of all the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.  
"I don't know…", Vinnie said, biting his lower lip.  
Kiwi felt tears jumping in her eyes and she held Vinnie tightly, trying to control her emotions. Vinnie lay his hand on hers, their fingers entwined. He squeezed softly, to let her know he felt the same.  
Throttle looked up at the sky, his thoughts with Carbine. Was he gonna see her again? He sure hoped he did. But then he sighed. Like things were different now. She had made her choice…  
"Life… It never ain't a straight road…", he sighed.  
Kiwi almost started to hyperventilate. She knew that this moment would come, one day. But she didn't expected it to be so soon… The thought alone that she was gonna return home without the mice, that she was gonna be alone again… it was literally taking her breath away. How was able to pick up her own life again? She was nothing without the mice. How was she gonna live without Throttle's calm and understanding words, spoken by that husky voice? How was she gonna live without Modo, who always tried to take care of her, like the gentleman he was? And… she couldn't even think about living without Vinnie. Her soulmate. He was the only one who completely understood how she felt. He was the only one who could calm her down. He was the only one who… God… How was she gonna live without her family?  
The last thing she wanted, was to stand in the way of them going back home. It was their home, after all. Their own people needed them. They had Limburger now. Chicago was safe again. Their presence was needed elsewhere. And no way she was gonna stop them. That would be the most selfish thing to do. But what she didn't told them, was that she already knew one thing...  
She wasn't gonna survive this. There was absolutely no way she was gonna be able to go back to her life without the mice. This was gonna kill her. One way or another…

* * *

Pfeewiee... That was one tense chapter, alright. But it does explain a lot, right?  
Please review! :)


	22. Chapter 21

Thanks for the reviews, can't say it enough. Really appreciate it.  
It sure was a intens chapter.

Well, on to the next one. Enjoy! :)

* * *

 **Chapter twenty one**

The mice crashed through the wall and stopped with shrieking breaks. Limburger sighed.  
"You pestriant prairie dogs. This simpleton scheme of yours simply shall not succeed…"  
"Save it for the trial, cheesebreath", Throttle warned him.  
"Yeah, you got it coming, big time!", Modo added, slamming his metal fist into his flesh hand.  
But Limburger started laughing.  
"Oooooh, you poor deluded creatures…", and he pushed a button on a remote that was around his wrist. A door opened and a army of goons came into view, along with Karbunkle and Greasepit.  
"Take it away, my devoted devians!"  
"ATTAAAAACK!", Karbunkle yelled.  
Throttle pushed a button on his bike to release the sidecar. He looked at Kiwi, who was still trying to control her emotions.  
"Keep an eye on the cheesefish, Kiwi. We got some tail to whip…"  
He so didn't like it to involve her, but they had no choice.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder and gave her his gun.  
"You up for this, sweetheart?", he asked when she stepped off his bike.  
She looked at him with a determination that immediately answered his question.  
"Oh, hell yeah, I am", she growled and walked over to Limburger. She was glad with the distraction and she always had wanted to point a gun at Limburger's head. I mean, who wouldn't?  
So, she did. Limburger was hanging over the front of the sidecar, his hands still tied.  
Kiwi gave him a mean smile.  
"You're not going anywhere, you reeking fishead", she snapped at him.  
Vinnie smiled, he just couldn't help it. Who would've thought that this girl would be such a badass soldier?  
"At least we now don't have to worry about trashing this place", Modo said while his cannons popped out.  
"As if we ever did!", Vinnie smiled and revved his bike. "Let's thumb this dump! AAAOOWWW!" and after popping a wheelie, he sped straight into chaos, followed by his bro's.

While the mice were busy with fighting the goons, that came along with a lot explosions and chaos, Kiwi held her eye fixed on Limburger. He was moaning and tried to set up straight again, since he was still hanging over the edge.  
"Don't you try anything funny, you moldy cheesehead", Kiwi warned, her gun still pointed at his face.  
"Ooohh, this is most uncomfortable… Mind you please lend me some kind assistance, dear lady?", he asked, looking pleading at her. But Kiwi shook her head.  
"Nice tried, fishface."  
Limburger sighed and suddenly jumped out of the sidecar, unexpectedly fast and flexible for a fish his size. Kiwi had no time to react and before she even could process what was happening, he burped in her face. The smell that came out of his mouth was so intense, she almost suffocated. She fell on her knees, coughing loudly. That was all the time Limburger needed to bounce away, since his feet were also tied.  
Kiwi shook her head, breathing heavily. When she looked up, Limburger was gone. Shit. Even if she didn't want the mice to leave, she couldn't just let him escape. He was criminal. Lowlife scum who had destroyed the homeplanet of the mice and had tried to do the same to Earth. He needed to get what he deserved, and that was either death or spending the rest of his miserable life in a cell. She looked over her shoulder, but the mice were still busy with fighting the goons. So, desperate to set this huge mistake straight, she jumped at her feet and followed the big fish on her own.  
She found him in the lab, cutting the ropes around his feet and hands. Shit. But before she even could raise her gun, he grabbed a small rocket launcher and fired it. The rocket exploded behind her and because of the force, she flew into the lab and landed right before Limburger's feet. Oh shit.  
"So… the tables are turned, you annoying earthling. And now… you are my prisoner! Muawhahahahaaaa…"

"Holy mosconi, I cleared the tables, bro's!", Throttle smiled and his bro's joined him. They high fived and looked at the destruction they had made.  
"Aaoowww, right on cue!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Yeah, shows what happens when we pull our talents", Modo added.  
Throttle whistled and his sidecar drove towards them. But it was empty.  
"Hey? What happened to the big cheese?", Throttle asked surprised.  
"More to the point; what happened to Kiwi?", Vinnie asked urgent and he revved his bike. He felt his anger flame up. If that slimeball even thought about touching his girl…  
"Come on, bro's. Kiwi needs our help."

Limburger was holding Kiwi, waving happily with his small rocketlauncher. He had it reload and was clearly very satisfied with himself.  
"In a moment, those meddling mice will ride through that door...", and he pointed at the entry of the lab. "...directly in the blast of this bazooka…" and he laughed.  
Kiwi struggled to get loose, but then started laughing. Limburger looked at her with a confused look on his face.  
"Yeah? Well, there is something you've forgotten, cheese wiz…", she managed to squeeze out.  
"Yes? And what might that be? Pre tell!"  
But before Kiwi could answer, a loud explosion knocked Limburger off his feet.  
The mice blasted their way in through the wall.  
"AAAOOOWW! We're the Biker Mice…!", Vinnie yelled, while landing on top of the transporter.  
"...and we don't use doors!", Modo finished.  
Vinnie looked at Kiwi, who quickly ran away from Limburger. Good. She was unharmed.  
Limburger was not amused and fired the rocked at Vinnie.  
The white furred mouse revved his bike and made a hasty retreat.  
"Wooaaooww, that's gonna drive your insurance up!", he said when he saw the damage at the transporter.  
"Yeah, you gotta work on your aim, stinkface", Throttle said while clenching his fist. "Like this!"  
He drove towards Limburger and punched him in the face. Because of the strength, the fish flew away and Modo caught him.  
"You're going to Mars, you malodorous malefactor! Even if I have to drag you the whole way there!", and he parked his bike in the transporter, still holding Limburger.  
Throttle stopped next to Vinnie.  
"Let's do it, bro!", and he followed Modo into the machine.

Vinnie suddenly felt a hint of panic. Shit. This was all going so fast all of a sudden and there were still so many things he wanted to say to Kiwi and now, he needed to leave already. He looked at the transporter, which was damaged because of Limburger's rocket. His gaze then landed on Kiwi, who was standing at the controls. Luckily, she knew how this thing worked after the whole Monster Zilla affaire. But when she looked up at Vinnie, his heart almost broke. The look on her face…  
He jumped off his bike and within two steps, he was standing next to her and he pulled her in his arms.  
She started crying, her whole body shocked in his arms.  
"Please… don't leave me…", she whispered.  
Vinnie's heart broke even more.  
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I need to go with them. I can't stay here. My bro's need me. My planet needs me… My people need me…"  
"I know, I know…"  
He felt tears in his own eyes and cupped her head in his hands, forcing her to look at him.  
"Sweetheart, I promise you this; I'm gonna do everything to come back, you hear me? No matter what it takes…"  
Kiwi's eyes were wide open, tears were streaming over her face.  
He pressed his lips on hers and gave her one last passionate kiss.  
"This isn't goodbye, Kiwi", he whispered after he broke off the kiss.  
Kiwi's breathing stopped for a moment. He said her name. She took a deep breath.  
"Y-you need to go, now. This thing is going critical", she said with a shaky voice, untangling herself.  
Vinnie jumped on his bike and looked one more time at her, smiling that arrogant smile of his.  
"Gone… but not forgotten…" and he popped a wheelie. "...dollface!" and he blew a hand kiss at her.  
He quickly turned his bike and with his characteristic battlecry, he drove into the transporter on his rear tire and he parked his front tire on Limburger's face, who was now sitting in Throttle's sidecar again. Kiwi smiled, despite her sorrow. A typical Vinnie exit.  
Kiwi pushed the button and the door mice pulled off their helmets and Modo and Throttle nodded at her.  
"Thanks for everything, Kiwi ma'am."  
"We will see each other again, babe."  
"I'm gonna miss you guys… But for now, cross your fingers…", Kiwi said, looking at the smoke that came out of the control system. Gosh, this better work…  
The mice did what she said, but nothing happened.  
Well, a lot happened, but not what needed to happen. There were still on Earth, and the transporter was smoking and flaming. A loud crash and a cable on the ceiling broke in two.  
"Waooww, they sure don't make these things like they used to…", Vinnie shook his head, looking at the cable.  
"Bail out of there, guys! It's gonna blow!"  
Modo slammed his fist against the glass, but it was no use.  
"Plutarkian glass steel! No way out!"  
"You fools! You have doomed us all!", Limburger yelled in panic.  
Throttle shook his head.  
"Hmmm.. Drag… we may not exactly be leaving…"  
"But we're about to go out with a bang!", Vinnie yelled. Was he smiling? Yep, he was.  
Kiwi pointed up.  
"We need to find a way to connect that power cable!"  
"I'll get it!", Modo called out, climbing on his bike.  
"NO, big fella, you'll fry!", Throttle yelled, but Modo still grabbed it.  
"Chance I gotta take, bro. Here goes…", and he pushed both ends against each other. A loud scream, a flash of light…  
BOOM!  
Kiwi crashed against the wall because of the force of the explosion. She quickly scrambled back on her feet. Oh my god, oh my god, did she lost them forever?  
But when she looked at the remains of the transporter, she didn't saw any blood or anything else. She fell on her knees from relieve, but soon, it hit her.  
Luckily they were alive, well that's what she thought at least, but they still were gone… Really gone… Throttle… Modo… Vinnie…  
She bent over because of the wave of sorrow that flooded her. No… She curled herself up on the floor, hold herself tightly and cried... cried like she never had cried before in her life.

A flash of light. Red sand. A familiar scent. Vinnie and his bike fell on the ground, but he immediately pushed himself up.  
"Modo! Modo, are you okay, bro?", he asked worried, but smiled when he saw his gray furred bro lying in the sand. His fur was standing straight up, but he looked okay.  
"Wooow… Yeah, I'm fine… a little shaken, though", and he straightened the fur on his tail. But then, he looked around him.  
"Hey, we made it!"  
Throttle was standing next to him and grabbed a handful of red sand.  
"Mars… after all this time…"  
"We're home…", Vinnie whispered, standing next to Throttle and stared at the red sanded dessert in front of him.  
"Sorry to leave this touchy scene, but I'm afraid it is time for me to get rolling", they suddenly heard Limburger saying and they turned around to see him roll off the hill they were standing on, still in Throttle's sidecar.  
Vinnie crooked his head, a little smile curled his lips.  
"Hm. Not exactly a model prisoner, is he?" and he looked at his bro's.  
"But this time, we got the home court advantage!", Throttle smiled back and they jumped on their bikes, putting on their helmets in the process.  
They revved their bikes and started the chase. But when Limburger drove up the next hill, he suddenly turned around and came back, a haunted look on his face.  
"Waaooww, quick turnaround time", Vinnie said surprised while hitting the brakes.  
"I wonder what's making the big cheese this anxious for our company", Throttle said, while rubbing his chin. But they soon got their answer.  
Big robots came into view. They were made of steal and had long legs. On top of it, a bin with…  
"Sandraiders!  
When Limburger drove past them in the sidecar, Modo grabbed him and Throttle attached him back to his bike.  
"Battle mode, bro's!"  
Cannons popped out their bikes.  
"Ugh. Those slave driving sand scum…", Vinnie growled.  
Modo looked at Limburger.  
"Fasten your seatbelts, you slimy cheeseball, we're heading into turbulence!"  
Limburger looked at him with a shocked look on his face. He made himself as small as possible in the small sidecar.  
"Oh dear…"

The mice revved their bikes and opened fire.  
"Those sand fleas ain't taking us as slave!", Vinnie yelled, firing his laser.  
"Yeah! Everybody's born to ride free!", Modo growled, his eye glowing red.  
Limburger rubbed his chin.  
"Slavers, 'ey? Hmmmm", and a smugly smile appeared on his face.  
Vinnie fired his jets and pulled back his handlebars. His bike flew into the air.  
"AAOOWW!", and he grabbed a grenade. He pulled the pin out it with his teeth and dropped it in one of the robots. The whole thing exploded and the creature in it landed on Limburger's lap.  
"Most annoying, are they not?", he asked and quickly grabbed the gun out of the holster that was around the sandraider's leg. The fish pushed him off his lap.  
"Whoops! How careless of me…", and he quickly hid the gun in his purple jacket.  
After a huge explosion, created by the mice, rocks fell down on the sandraiders and the mice stopped with shrieking brakes. Limburger flew out of the sidecar and the mice jumped off their bikes, pulling off their helmets.  
"Yeah, strike!", Throttle smiled, while looking at the destruction.  
"Broke a hundred!", Modo added.  
"AAAOOWWW, no question! The mice are back on Mars!", he cheered happily, trying not to think about Kiwi.  
It was then they suddenly heard the click of a gun behind them. Vinnie's smile disappeared like snow in the sun.  
"Oh man…", he sighed, crossing his arms before his chest while looking over his shoulder.  
Limburger cleared his throat, aiming the gun at the mice.  
"I believe the phrase is… Put your hands up!"  
The mice did what he said.  
"Man, you're just not gonna get any time off for good behaviour", Vinnie snorted.  
"You better release us, Limburger. You got no friends on this planet…", Throttle warned him.  
But Limburger had that smugly smile on his face again, like always when he had a plan.  
"Ooooh, I beg to differ, my good mouse. A true business man needs no friends, nearly merchandise to sell…", and he raised his voice. "Attention shoppers! Fine slaves for sale, at bargain prices!"  
Sandraiders slowly cornered the mice, one of them looking at Limburger.  
"Why do you bargain now, after you've won the battle?", he asked. Limburger looked at the dog looking like creature, with his big teeth, drool on his chin and fat belly.  
"My good fellow, there has been shall we say… a hostile takeover of the firm. Now, I have here, three fine slaves along with their motorcycles for scrap…"  
But before anybody could react, a laser hit the floor nearby Limburger's feet and made him flew into the air.  
Vinnie quickly catched him and grabbed the gun.  
"Sorry, cheeseball. There has been a sudden depreciation in the stock!" and he put the gun in his own holster, pushing Limburger away. He joined his bro's, looking at the bikes that were driving down the hills.  
"Freedom Fighters!", Throttle called out.  
Modo grabbed his head, overwhelmed by joy.  
"I've never thought I'd see the day again!"  
The group opened fire and the sandraiders quickly fled the scene.  
"AAOOWWW! We're the rock warriors!", Vinnie cheered.  
Limburger tried to flee too, but Modo grabbed him in a headlock.  
"Haha, stick around, stinkface. I've got a few buddies I'd like you to meet!"  
The group stopped in front of them. Throttle did a few steps forward.  
"Hey, thanks. You probably don't know who we are…", he started, but a cold, female voice interrupted him.  
"Unfortunately, I do…"

Throttle's mouth fell open, his heart started to beat faster… He would recognize that voice everywhere. The mouse in front of him pulled off her helmet. Black hair waved around her shoulders, her gray fur shined in the sun… All so familiar brown eyes looked at him, but the look in it completely strange to him. A scar on the left side of her snout, her thin body…  
"Carbine…", Throttle breathed. Why in the world was she pointing a gun at him?  
"Oh! I see you've brought your boss…", she snarled, pointing at Limburger.  
Throttle was completely loss at words, and that didn't happen that easily. What the hell was she talking about? What the hell was wrong with her? He'd thought about seeing her again almost every day the past few months, but this wasn't how he'd pictured it at all.  
"... traitors!", she added, her nose wrinkled, her face twisted in anger.  
Throttle's felt the word cut into his soul.  
"What?", was all he could bring out.  
Modo and Vinnie both looked just as shocked.  
The gray furred giant pointed at Limburger.  
"This cheeseball ain't our boss…", he said, a confused look on his face.  
But Limburger smelled a opportunity. He swung his arms around Modo's and Vinnie's neck.  
"What? Why, how could you say that, my dear boy?", he asked, looking at both of them. "After I set up your whole pension plan, dental care, company cycles…"  
Vinnie clenched his teeth in anger and planted his elbow in the big fish his stomach.  
"You lying reek fish!", he growled, while looking at Limburger who was now lying on the ground because of the strength of the punch.  
"Bro's, I think we have been set up…", Modo said, looking at his two best friends.  
"Save it for your trial… Arrest these scum for trial and execution!", Carbine ordered and the group aimed their guns at the three mice in front of them.  
Throttle couldn't believe his oversized ears. He knew things weren't like they used to be between them, he knew they weren't together anymore, but this… did she really believe he would do such a thing? And his bro's? What in the world happened to her…?

"Ooooh my dear, dear Biker Mice…", Limburger smiled. He was lying on the small bed in his cell, looking at the mice. "As your employer, I ever so deeply regret putting you into this situation…"  
Modo, who was sitting in the cell at his right, clenched his teeth and punched with his now chained up metal arm against the electric fence between the cells.  
"We never worked for you!" and he tried to grab Limburger, but his arm touched the fence and he quickly pulled it back, screaming in pain and frustration.  
"Oohh, you are much too modest, my dear boy", Limburger said while standing up. "Your assistance in the devastation of Chicago was as valuable as it was here on Mars…"  
"You lying skunk fish", Throttle growled from the cell on Limburger's left. But he also got a electrical shock when he tried to grab Limburger and quickly pulled his arm back too.  
"You set us up!"  
Limburger laughed.  
"Don't be absurd, my good mouse. Why should I botter?"  
"Well, somebody did! And it smells like a Plutarkian stunt to me!", Modo called out.  
"Ah, but who besides myself…", but the fish didn't notice he was standing too close at the fence. Modo grabbed him through the holes and pushed him against it, even if that meant he was getting electrocuted too.  
"What are you plotting now, slimeball?", Modo roared in anger, but the guard slammed against his door and Modo let Limburger go. The latter quickly did a few steps away, out of Modo's range.  
"Is this any way to speak to your employer?", he sighed, but then looked up in the angry face of Throttle. He quickly stepped back and stayed in the middle.  
"If this keeps up, I may have to have you fired…"  
"FIRED? Listen pal, if I could unchain my gun, I will show you what fire means!", and Modo pulled on the chains around his arm, but it was no use.  
"Bro's, bro's, come on!", they suddenly heard Vinnie saying. They all turned around to look at him. The white furred mouse was for once the only one who was calm, sitting on his bunk.  
"Calm down. We got nothing to worry about…" and he smiled reassuring at his bro's.  
But Limburger just didn't knew when to stop. He grabbed something out of his pocket.  
"Off course not, my estimable employee…", and he threw the object to Vinnie.  
Throttle tried to see what it was, but it was already in Vinnie's hands.  
"I'm sure your associate, that human female, is being well treated by my other operates…"  
Vinnie looked at the photo of Kiwi in his hands and something clicked in his head.  
So far calm.  
He threw the picture away, turned around with clenched teeth and slammed his shoulder against the electrical fence.  
"Wow, wow, wow, settle, Vincent, settle", Throttle yelled, his hands before his body, but Vinnie went ballistic.  
He slammed his shoulder against the fence, over and over again. When he noticed that didn't work, he kicked, punched, he did everything, but it was no use. He grabbed the fence and tried to break it, but the electrical shocks made him fall on his knees. He let go, breathing heavily and his teeth clenched with so much strength, Throttle was scared he was gonna break his jaw.  
"If that oil slick gooner that drains only has thoughts about touching Kiwi…", Vinnie threatened, but Limburger shook his head.  
"Oh, don't worry, dear boy, don't worry. I'm sure they're being perfect gentlemen…"  
Throttle looked at Vinnie, who was on his feet again, his tail lashing. Limburger should be glad he wasn't in the same cell as the white furred mouse. He probably wouldn't make it out alive. Vinnie didn't get that easily this angry, but when it was about Kiwi, all the bets were off.  
Throttle sighed and sat down again. What a mess…  
Suddenly, Carbine was standing before his cell.  
"Time to talk, Throttle."

"Carbine, this is crazy…", Throttle sighed, looking at the woman he once loved. Well, let's be honest… who he still loved. But she had this cold, almost hateful look in her eyes. He hardly recognized her anymore.  
"You know we would never work for Limburger…", but as soon the words came out, he already could see that she didn't believe him.  
"You think I'm a fool? Take a look at this", she said with a almost toneless voice and pushed a button. A screen started to play videos, showing the mice fighting their fight in Chicago. But of course, somebody had messed with it. It indeed looked like they were only trashing the place.  
Throttle sighed again and when the screen went black, he turned around.  
"We were fighting cheeseface in this shots, not helping him… We never worked for him, we came back to bring him back for trial!"  
"This footage came in right before you arrived. Coincidence? No. A warning."  
Throttle stared at her, her distant attitude, her stone cold eyes…  
"Carbine… what happened to you? How could you even think I would do such a thing?", he eventually asked.  
"Don't try to turn this around! I should be the one asking you what happened to you. How could you do this to Mars? To your people? To me?", she yelled, her tail lashing.  
"Babe, come on! We…"  
"You left, Throttle. You just disappeared with your bro's…", she said the last word sarcastic. "...and we haven't heard from you guys since. Mars needed you and you just left. But when I saw the videos, I immediately understood why…"  
Throttle's mouth fell open.  
"Carbine! We didn't just left. We crashed on Earth. We were stuck there, and then we found out that Limburger was doing the same on Earth as he did to Mars, and…"  
Carbine suddenly was standing right in front of him, her nose almost touched his. Her eyes spit fire.  
"And you guys never thought about it to contact us. YOU never thought about it to contact ME! I thought you were DEAD, Throttle. And yet here you are, alive and kicking. You working for the Plutarkians is the ONLY reason that explains such act of betrayal! Because the Throttle I know, would've done everything to come back. To contact us. To contact me."  
She did a few steps back, clearly trying to get herself together.  
Throttle grabbed her arm.  
"Who is turning things around now? As far as I know, you left me! Maybe not physical, but it was you who put the war above our relationship. I never wanted that. But you did. You made your choice. So, yeah, I'm sorry that you weren't on top of my priority list when we crashed on Earth. But that doesn't mean I would betray Mars. I would never do that. Neither would Modo and Vinnie."  
Carbine yanked herself free.  
"I don't believe you. I don't even know you anymore. This war… It changed you."  
Throttle laughed, he just couldn't help it.  
"The war changed all of us, Carbine. But I'm at least trying to stay as close to myself as I can. You, on the other hand… You really need to get your priorities straight. Babe."  
Carbine gasped, staring at him. He looked back, almost challenging. Oh, how much he had missed her. But this… This was crazy. Beyond crazy. Her paranoia made her even doubt herself, probably. Man…

Suddenly, they heard a lot of noise outside, followed by a explosion. They both ran to the balcony and looked down.  
They had a great view at the back of the cells, and Throttle saw that the bars from Limburgers cell were gone. His gaze fell on Greasepit and Karbunkle, who were sitting on Greasepits trike. Limburger was just joining him. But suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. Kiwi. The poor girl was tied up and sitting next to Limburger. She looked up and when she saw Throttle, her eyes grew big. But before she could say anything, Greasepit quickly drove away.  
Throttle looked at Carbine one more time, but the look in her eyes was still the same. He shrugged, there was nothing he could do about this now. It broke his heart, but Limburger needed to be stopped and they had to get Kiwi back. He jumped off the balcony before Carbine could stop him and quickly took care of the guards, as gentle as possible. He heard her yelling at him, but he ignored it.  
"Sorry soldiers, but this is an emergency", and the tan furred mouse grabbed a laser gun from one of the guards, who was now lying unconscious on the ground.  
He saw Vinnie and Modo looking at him from behind the bars. Vinnie was about to lose it again, he could tell.  
"That fucking slimeball got Kiwi!", Vinnie growled.  
"I know, so I would say; it's tail whippin' time!" and Throttle shot the bars from both cells. He turned around and blew up the door from the building that was helding their bikes.  
Vinnie and Modo quickly crawled out of their cell and they all three jumped on their bikes. When they put on their helmet, laserfire hit the ground and they looked behind them. The army of Freedom Fighters drove out, ready to grab them again.  
"Let's ROCK…", Throttle yelled.  
"... and RIDE!"

"Well, bro's. We're on our own again…", Throttle sighed while he looked over his shoulder. "And the whole planet after us…"  
"Suckers. I can't believe they really think we'd work for Limburger…", Vinnie said while shaking his head. "But first things first, it's time to save the damsel in distress."  
He tried to say it nonchalant, but he was so angry. If there was even a small scratch on her, he was gonna kill Limburger.  
"Right with ya, bro", Modo nodded and they drove over a bridge to cross a huge ravine. When they were halfway, they threw a grenade behind them and the whole bridge exploded.  
"That will hold them for now. Let's ride!"

In the meantime, Kiwi was sold as a slave to one of the sandraiders, just like Greasepit and Karbunkle, by Limburger. Wauw, that fish sure had absolutely no limits when it came to saving his own scaly ass, now had he? He even sold his two most loyal employees who had even come to Mars to save him, without blinking.  
The two had found her in the lab, where she was still lying on the floor at that point and had decided to take her with them, god knows why.  
The big, drooling dog looking like creature dragged her into a big tent, put cuffs around her wrists and attached a chain to it. She yanked, but the chain was attached at a pole in the ground. No escaping now…  
"Fuck…", she muttered under her breath.  
She still hardly could believe she was on Mars. But it wasn't really a fun trip. Limburger had told Karbunkle and Greasepit what had happened, about the whole boss thing. Kiwi couldn't believe that the mice were betrayed like that by their own people. Who was stupid enough to believe that they even would consider about working for a Plutarkian, anyway? Well, if she was gonna live long enough to find out, that person was gonna have to deal with her. But she was in trouble now. The mice in jail and she… well, what was gonna happen to her anyway? More to the point; who was gonna save her now?  
"You are mine, beautiful", the dog winked at her, a evil smile on his face.  
She looked at him and a shiver crawled over her spine. This creature was no good, she could tell.  
"What do you want?", she whispered. His smile got even bigger and he grabbed something that was lying next to him.  
Kiwi stared at it. It took her a little while to find out what it was, but when she did, she started to pull on the shackles even harder. No way. No fucking way.  
The sandraider waved the outfit in front of her. Well, outfit… it was hardly a few pieces of fabric.  
"You're gonna put this on. And when I'm done with enjoying the view, I'm gonna take it off and… well, you know…" and he chuckled, his tongue licking his lips.  
Kiwi's blood turned cold and her breathing stopped. No… Vinnie, where are you?  
She shook her head.  
"Ain't gonna happen!", she snapped at him, trying to sound confident. But she knew she was in big trouble. She started to pull on her shackles again, but it was no use. Dammit.  
The dog grabbed her and pushed the outfit in her hands, but she threw it away.  
"You'll have to kill me first before that trashy outfit is even gonna get close to my body!", she yelled, but she immediately regret that.  
The dog raised his hand and slapped her in the face, hard. The cut in her lip from Vinnie's teeth, which was almost healed now, cracked open again and she could feel a ringing tone in her left ear, which was the side he had hit her.  
"You are gonna do as I say…", the dog growled, grabbing her by the chin.  
Kiwi looked at him, her eyes wide open, filled with tears.  
"Go to hell", she whispered.  
"Hmmm… feisty, aren't you? That's how I like them the most…", the dog smiled.  
"Fine, forget the outfit. We'll just continue to the next part…" and he pushed her on the ground. In one movement, he climbed on top of her and ripped off her shirt. Kiwi, at first too shocked to even protest, opened her mouth and screamed in fear and anger. She tried to hit him with her cuffed hands, but he grabbed them and shortened the chain, so her hands were now stuck above her head.  
"NO! GET OFF ME!", Kiwi yelled, wiggling and struggling with her body, in a attempt to throw him off. But of course, that didn't work. He was twice as big and heavy as her.  
Drool dripped on her face when he bent over and sniffed her face. She could hear the smacking sound when he opened his mouth and she felt his tongue licking her cheek. Jesus, was he crazy? His awful scent made her almost throw up, his weight on her body made her almost pass out. But she fought to stay awake. If she was gonna lose consciousness now, well...  
"Stay away from me, you filthy dog!", she growled, still wiggling to get loose.  
The dog smiled and his hands slid over her body. He pulled on her bra and the whole thing broke like it was a weak rubber band. He threw it over his shoulder, looking very satisfied at her.  
"You sure are a pretty thing", he breathed and his hands followed their way down. He moved his weight and sat down on her lower legs.  
"NO! No, no, no, please, don't do this…", Kiwi cried, tears streaming over her face.  
God, this couldn't be happening, right? This wasn't how it supposed to happen. It was supposed to be Vinnie who was gonna be her first. It was supposed be romantic…

The dog ripped off her pants, even stood up for a moment to pull it out, but Kiwi was too shocked to take advantage of him standing up. He sat down again, taking a moment to appreciate the view.  
For a moment, nothing happened. But when he reached out his hand to pull out her underwear, she suddenly snapped. Panic took over and the only thing she could think of, was Vinnie. She needed him now more than ever.  
"NO! VINNIE! HELP ME! VINNIE!"  
She used all her strength to throw the dog off of her, screaming her throat raw. But Vinnie wasn't here and she wasn't strong enough to fight this creature.  
"Vinnie, please, where are you?", she sobbed.  
The dog chuckled and bent over.  
"Nobody is gonna save you now, beautiful. It's just you and me…", he whispered in her ear.  
"Vinnie… Please… I need you…", Kiwi whispered, squeezing her eyes. "Please…"

* * *

Oh no... Poor Kiwi. Is Vinnie gonna be in time to save her? Fingers crossed.  
Please review! :)


	23. Chapter 22

Hey you guys, thanks for the reviews! Really happy to see you like the story.  
Wolftattoo: Her hands are tied above her head, so she can't use them. And Kiwi is definitely no Charley. Of course, she is brave, but not a real fighter. Not like Charley. So, she needs the mice to save her. Let's just hope they are on time. ;) Am I good in building up the tension, or what? :p

Okay, okay, I suck at it, I know. I'm way too predictable, I guess.

Aaaaanyway, enjoy the next chapter! :)

* * *

 **Chapter twenty two**

Greasepit's oil trail led them to a sandraiders camp and Vinnie looked around him, but no Kiwi. He did see Greasepit and Karbunkle, who were both chained to a pole.  
"Ha! That stinkfish even sold his real employees", he called out.  
"Yeah, no surprise there…", Throttle shook his head.  
Suddenly, sandraiders came out of every corner and soon, the mice were surrounded.  
"Ah, they are ready for round two", Modo said drily, looking at his bro's.  
"Yeah, these guys really are looking for punishment, ain't they?", Vinnie smiled.  
"Let's grab them!" The mice jumped off their bikes and hell broke loose.  
But right in the middle of the fight, Vinnie suddenly heard a scream that made his heart skip a beat.  
"VINNIE! HELP ME!"  
Kiwi.  
He looked at his bro's, who had heard it too.  
"Vinnie, go! We will handle these clowns", Throttle yelled, while throwing one in the air and punching him the face when he came down again.  
"I'm already gone", Vinnie growled and jumped in the air, made a somersault and landed right outside the battle.  
He pricked his ears and picked up Kiwi's voice, crying his name. He followed the sound. By the looks of things, it came out of this tent. But when he ran inside, he stopped death in his tracks. There she was, his girl. Lying almost completely naked under the fat body of a saindraider, who apparently had the courage to touch her with his filthy hands. Hatred suddenly ran through his veins and his fur bristled.  
The dog was just about to rip off her underwear and Vinnie immediately came into action. Within two steps, he was standing close enough and he grabbed the dog in his neck. He yanked him away from Kiwi and turned him around. The dog breathed in sharply when he saw the murderous look on the white furred mouse in front of him.  
"Oh…"  
"That's right. _Oh_. You're touching my girl without her permission. Big mistake… and your last one too", Vinnie growled between clenched teeth and punched the dog in the face. The latter fell down on the floor and Vinnie hit him again. And again. And again. A red haze formed before his eyes, he had never felt this kinda anger before. If it wasn't for Kiwi, he probably would've killed him, right here, right now.  
"Vinnie, please…"  
His fist stopped inches before the face of the now unconscious sandraider. He looked up, right into her blue eyes.  
She looked at him, pleading. She was still lying there in only her underwear, her hands tied above her head…  
Shit. Vinnie immediately let the dog go and rushed over to her. He fell on his knees next to her and grabbed a flair.  
"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here…", he whispered at her, while burning her chains.  
When she was free, he quickly grabbed a blanket that was lying close to them on the floor and wrapped it around her. He pulled her in his arms.  
"Come here, it's okay… I'm here… You're safe now…", he said softly.  
Kiwi held him tightly, grabbed his fur with her fingers and buried her face into his fur. His familiar scent, the familiar feeling of his soft fur against her skin, made her calm down. He just held her, his chin leaning on her head. After a while, she slowly made herself loose, holding the blanket closely wrapped around her body. She looked up at him.  
"Thank you… And good timing as always."  
Vinnie looked down at her, his lips curled into that arrogant smile she loved so much. But it soon again disappeared.  
"Are you okay, sweetheart? Did he…", but Kiwi shook her head.  
"No. And I'm okay. It was awful, humiliating, but you being here, having your arms around me… it makes everything alright again…"  
"I should kill him", Vinnie growled.  
Kiwi felt the tension in his body and she cupped his head in her hands.  
"That's not who you are, Vinnie. I think you've already made your point…"  
They both looked at the dog who was still knocked out, his face hardly even recognizable anymore.  
Kiwi looked back into his ruby red eyes.  
"I thought I'd never see you again…", she whispered.  
"Hey, pretty lady. I promised you something, remember? Although I must say, I didn't expect to see you so soon again…"  
He bent forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.  
"Ahum…"  
They both pulled back and looked at the entrance of the tent, a blush on their faces. Throttle and Modo were standing in the opening, smiling. But that soon changed when they saw Kiwi's clothes lying all over the floor. Throttle noticed the blanket around her and added one plus one.  
"Kiwi! Jesus, are you okay?", he asked urgently, kneeling down next to her and Vinnie.  
Modo quickly followed.  
"What did he do to you?", the gray furred giant demanded, his eye glowing red.  
Kiwi quickly shook her head.  
"Guys, I'm fine. Thanks to this macho mouse over here."  
They both sighed in relief. Vinnie slowly climbed on his feet, helping Kiwi up.  
"We need to find you some clothes", he said, looking around him, but then...  
"You're under arrest. Again."  
They all whirled around. Carbine was standing in the opening of the tent, the army of Freedom Fighters behind her.  
"And this time, we're gonna make it permanent, you Plutarkian boothlickers. Grab them!"

"Well, bro's… it's been surreal…", Vinnie said.  
They were chained at each other and soldiers with spears forced them to walk closer to the edge of the cliff. Vinnie looked down and saw the sharp points at the bottom.  
"Hey, wait, we can still try to blast our way outta here…", Modo protested, looking at Throttle.  
"No good, Modo. Remember, they're only keeping Kiwi safe as long as we behave. We don't wanna drag her down with us."  
Kiwi was standing next to Carbine, her hands cuffed on her back. Luckily, the leader was kind enough to give her some clothes, even if they were way too big. She looked at the bro's, and suddenly her anger flamed. This was her family. And this girl, this… Carbine, who loved Throttle once, was about to kill her family. She remembered the deal she'd made with herself. And now, it turned out that the one who was stupid enough to think that the mice would work for a Plutarkian, was nobody less than Throttle's first love. The girl he told her about with so much love, so much respect… And this was how she repaid him? God, it was time she was gonna tell that bitch the truth.  
She turned around to face the light gray furred mouse, her eyes fuming.  
"Now you listen to me, you ungrateful bitch…", she started.  
Carbine's eyes grew big, just like the bro's.  
"... You are making a huge mistake. The Biker Mice would never work for Limburger and I must say, I can't wrap my mind around the fact that you actually believe they would. They found me, when they crashed on Earth. They saved me from being hit by their ship when it crashed and I took them in. I took care of them and they took care of me. They saved me, multiple times, on more ways you can even imagine. They are MY FAMILY, and I will not allow it that you're gonna kill them because of your paranoia and distrust. They crashed on a unfamiliar planet, saved me, even if they didn't have too and when they found out a Plutarkian was doing the same thing to Earth as he did to Mars, they decided to stay. Without any hesitation. They gave up their home, to fight for a planet they only knew of because of history lessons. Without even blinking. Does that sound like Plutarkian boothlickers to you? They sound more like heroes to me!"  
There was a deadly silence. Kiwi was breathing heavily and Carbine just stared at her.  
Throttle admired Kiwi's courage. Nobody was allowed to talk like this to Carbine.  
"They just helped him escape…", Carbine said, but Kiwi could see the doubt in her eyes. She could see that the ice cold attitude slowly was melting away. But still, could you believe this girl? And here she was, thinking that Vinnie was stubborn.  
"Oh, come on! Open your eyes! They tried to catch him, but he was already gone when they came into the camp. But they would've caught him already if YOU didn't show up. You know, Throttle told me about you. How much he loved you. And he told me, you once loved him back. And this is how you repay him? How can you live with yourself…"  
"Kiwi…", Throttle started in a weak attempt to stop her, but Carbine held up her hand to silence him, not turning her gaze away from Kiwi for a moment.  
Kiwi stared back, her eyes sparkling from anger.  
Vinnie smiled, he just couldn't help himself. Finally someone who told that cold hearted bitch the truth. He was somehow disappointed it wasn't him, but hey, you just can't have it all.  
Carbine opened her mouth, but closed it again. She studied the human female. She was tiny. Small build. She looked weak. But she wasn't. She was annoyed and impressed at the same time. The girl did have a lot of courage. And she was right. It felt like the girl had slapped her in the face to wake her up. Well, maybe she did. Sort of speak. She turned around and nodded at the guards.  
"Release them", she ordered and she turned around to face Kiwi.  
"You either have a deathwish or you're just very brave…", she said softly, looking at the girl. "Turn around."  
Kiwi did what she said and Carbine took off the cuffs. Kiwi turned back to face her, rubbing her wrists.  
"Thank you."  
Before Carbine could say anything, she walked straight past her and jumped in Vinnie's open arms. Carbine frowned. Hmmm…  
But then she saw Throttle standing, a little lost somehow. She slowly walked towards him.  
"Throttle… I'm sorry…", she said when she was standing in front of him.  
"Ah, Carbine…", Throttle sighed, laying his hand against her cheek. "I've never forgotten what we once meant for each other…"  
"What we still mean for each other, you mean", she smiled and before he could say something back, she kissed him. At first, he was too surprised, but soon after that, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. His heart pounded in his chest. He had her back. Finally, after all these years…  
Kiwi looked at them, tears in her eyes. She leant against Vinnie's chest and he held her tightly. She couldn't be happier for Throttle right now. She had seen how much he was struggling without her. No matter how hard he had tried to hide it, to pretend he moved on, she had seen it in his eyes. They belonged together.  
"Good job, sweetheart", Vinnie whispered in her ear. "Really, finally someone who told her the truth. She don't deserve him, though. But he needs her."  
"Yeah, you're right. But let's give her a chance to make it up, okay? Everybody deserves a second chance…"  
"Yeah, you're probably right…" and he suddenly bit softly in her ear.  
It somehow set her whole body on fire. Her breathing fastened and she quickly pushed him away, before she would jump on him in front of everybody. God, that mouse was such a teaser.

She turned around to tell him… yeah, tell him what? She immediately forgot the words when she saw the big ice asteroid falling towards Mars. Her eyes grew big and she pointed in the air.  
"Oh my god, look!", she yelled and everybody turned around.  
"This just ain't our lucky day…", Modo sighed.  
"Well, let's just hope it ain't our last", Vinnie added, staring at the asteroid. Wait, what? Did he really just said that?  
"We need to stop it!", Throttle yelled, jumping on his bike.  
"What? Nobody can stop that!", Carbine called out, grabbing his arm.  
"We can", he said, smiling at her.  
"Yeah, if anybody can reach it before it hits, we can!", Modo added, als jumping on his bike.  
Vinnie was already ready to go.  
"Yeah, 'cause we're the baddest mamma jammers from the universe! Let's rock and roll, bro's!" and he popped a wheelie and with one last wink at Kiwi, Vinnie sped away. His bro's quickly followed him. They drove up a mountain that was close to the Freedom Fighters base.  
"Helmets on space mode, bro's. No air at the top of mount Olympus!", and Throttle closed his visor.  
"AAAOWW! OOOOH, this is a jump I've been DYING to make!", Vinnie cheered, also closing his visor.  
"Interesting choice of words, bro", Modo said, looking at Vinnie, who looked back way too happy.  
"Light your fires, bro's!", and they fired their jets, using the top of the mountain as a ramp. They flew into the air, straight towards the big piece of ice.  
"We've gotta crack this cube, bro's!", Throttle ordered and they opened fire.  
"AAAAAAAAAAOOOWWWW! BIKER BONZAAAAAAI! YIIIHHAAAOOWW!", Vinnie laughed almost hysterically when the whole asteroid exploded. He used his weight to swirl his bike, avoiding the big pieces.  
"Hell yeah, the gang is here!"  
"Yeah, we got a frosty homecoming before this, but maybe now they'll warm up to us!", Throttle laughed and they made their way down again.  
When they landed, they stopped their bikes with shrieking brakes and high fived.  
"Hahaaa, all in a days work!", Modo laughed.  
"Thank you, thank you, no autographs please!", Vinnie waved.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Oh puhlease...  
Throttle shook his head with a smile and stepped off his bike.  
"Well, how's that for good intentions, Carbine?", he asked. He just couldn't help himself.  
At least she did have the decency to blush.  
"Our… My suspicions were unfounded. You saved our planet…" and she jumped in his arms.  
He held her tightly, tears in his eyes. He was just so happy he had her in his arms again.  
Modo cleared his throat.  
"Ahum, excuse me, but the job is not finished yet…"  
"Yeah, loverlips, Limburger is still stinking around out there…", Vinnie added, a mischievous smile on his face.  
"And Earth is still in danger as long as that cheeseball's free!", Kiwi finished, a determined look on her face.  
"You're right. Besides, we got a score to settle", Throttle said, making himself loose from Carbine.  
"You said it", Vinnie smiled, way too happy and Kiwi braced herself. And indeed, his tail wrapped around her waist and he pulled her on his bike.  
"AAAOOWW, let's rock and ride!" and he sped away, followed by Modo.  
Throttle turned around, looking at Carbine. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.  
"Hey babe… I'll be back… Someday", and he smiled at her.  
She gave him a sad smile back. She knew she had to let him go. And he knew he had to let her go. For now. But this wasn't a final goodbye. One day, they were gonna be together. And live a happy, peaceful life.  
"Hey babe… I'll be waiting", she said back and he revved his bike.  
After one more look at her, he took a deep breath and followed his bro's. But his heart felt lighter than before. They had found each other again. And this time, he wasn't gonna let her go. Never again. Even if they both had their own battles to fight, he was certain of one thing: he was coming back. No matter what it would take.

The mice drove up a hill and when they came on top of it, they spotted Limburger with his two sidekicks. And by the looks of things, Karbunkle was busy preparing a portable transporter.  
Throttle quickly drove past Limburger and kicked the fish in the back. Limburger fell down, screaming loud.  
Modo jumped off his bike and landed on Greasepit. He quickly closed his visor against the oil splatters and hit him two times to knock him out.  
Vinnie stopped next to Karbunkle and tried to grab the transporter, but Karbunkle didn't let it go without a fight.  
"Get me out of here!", Limburger yelled, trying to fight off Throttle, who was sitting on his back.  
"I'm trying…", Karbunkle growled, while he was playing a game of tug-a-war with Vinnie.  
"Gimme that, you ugly viper", Vinnie breathed, while pulling on the transporter.  
"NO, MINE!", Karbunkle yelled, pulling back.  
"No, it's mine!", Vinnie yelled back.  
Throttle shook his head with a smile. Typical.  
"Man, you're strong for a weirdo", the white furred mouse gasped, still using all his strength, but Karbunkle did too.  
Throttle grabbed Limburger and turned him around so the fish faced him. He grabbed him by the suit.  
"Well, hey there, stinkface", Throttle said, pointing a finger at him. "We just dropped in to discuss that little tape you made…"  
Limburger started to sweat, looking at Throttle with fear written on his face.  
"To which tape are you referring, you miserable rodent?", he asked, suddenly confused.  
Throttle chuckled.  
"Well, the one you faked to make it look like we work for you… The one you beamed to Mars!"  
But Limburger still looked very confused.  
"I never…"  
"Oh really? Well, if you didn't do it, who did?", Throttle interrupted him.  
"Yeah", Modo said, who joined them with Greasepit over his shoulder. "Who's wanna get rid of us and the big cheese at the same time?" and he threw Greasepit on the floor.  
"Excellent question…", Limburger said slowly.  
"With only one lousy answer…", Throttle sighed. "It has to be…"  
But suddenly, the transporter activated and after a flash of light, they were back in LP on Earth.  
"...Napoleon Brie…", Throttle finished.

A hideous laugh filled their ears and Brie appeared on the doorstep of Karbunkle's lab.  
"Wight. It was I, Napoleon Bwie, who awanged your reception on Mars. But I see, you wodents have weturned… along with my owd wival, Wimburger… I am impwessed. But I'm in chawge hewe now… and you awe not welcome hewe!"  
He walked closer to them, followed by Number One and the rest of his goons.  
"Destwoy them!"  
Vinnie rolled his eyes. "Ah man, isn't anyone pleased to see us?", he sighed.  
"Hmm, hmm… You take off to Mars for two days and look what happens… Aliens take over your town", Throttle agreed.  
Limburger started to talk with Brie, tried to talk himself out of this situation.  
Throttle signed at his bro's and Kiwi to get the hell outta here. But when they sat on their bikes, the goons behind Brie opened fire.  
"A bit unstable, isn't he?", Throttle chuckled, looking at Brie who was laughing maniacally.  
"Looks like the negotiation are broken down, big time", Modo nodded.  
"Well, what we need is some room to make a few points of our own!", Vinnie smiled.  
They turned around and crashed through the wall.  
"Let's get outta here, bro's. I think we had enough for one day", Throttle ordered.  
"What? No way, too much is never enough!", Vinnie protested, but he did what him was told. Not that he was gonna say it out loud, but even he was exhausted.  
They jumped out of the window and when they landed, they all three shot rockets at the building. The whole tower crumbled into dust, and the mice high fived.  
"Aaaooww, alright, what a day!", Vinnie laughed, looking at the mess before him.  
"Saving two planets", Modo agreed.  
"And stopping not one, but two Plutarkians stinkfishes!", Throttle laughed. "For a while, anyway."  
"So! Who's up for some hotdogs and rootbeer?", Vinnie smiled, revving his bike.  
"Oh man, you're playing my song, bro!", Modo cheered.  
Vinnie popped a wheelie, just like Modo and they drove away. Kiwi looked over her shoulder and saw Throttle looking up at the sky. She felt sorry for him. Of course, she was happy he was reunited with his first love. But now, war was already taking them apart again. She watched him till he was outta sight and she wrapped her arms closely around Vinnie. She was so glad they were back.  
Unfortunately, not everyone was all too happy about it. The tan furred mouse sighed. But he knew he had no choice.  
"Our work here ain't finished, Carbine. But we'll be back some day. I promise…"  
And he revved his bike and followed his bro's.

 _(A/N: I skipped the last part, hope you guys don't mind. But in my humble opinion, the last part is kinda… I don't know, meaningless? It's just keeps going on and on... So, I figured this part wouldn't really participate anything to my own story.)_

Later that night, Kiwi was already lying in her bed. She was exhausted from the events that had happened, but she couldn't sleep. Pretty heavy stuff had happened these two days, starting with the shock that the mice were gonna leave her. After that, things only got worse. Being held as a hostage, sold as a slave, almost got raped, watching how the mice were forced to walk closer to that edge… closer to their death, betrayed by their own kind… God. Luckily, she was stronger now than a few months back. But it was still a lot to process. She closed her eyes. She could feel her body relax and she slowly sunk into a restless sleep.

The three mice were sitting in the living room, watching a movie. Well, Throttle and Modo were. Vinnie was already on his way to fall asleep. He had lived on adrenaline the last two days and now it wore off, he felt like shit. But a sudden scream from upstairs made him jump onto his feet again. Because he was already half asleep, he tripped over his tail and fell face forward on the ground.  
"Ah man…", he sighed, but Kiwi screamed again.  
Modo and Throttle looked at Vinnie, who jumped back on his feet and stumbled upstairs.  
"I will check on her, bro's. You continue watching that movie. Which sucks, by the way."  
His bro's shrugged and did what he said.  
"I think it's a cool movie", Modo said and Throttle agreed.

Vinnie, now wide awake again, burst into Kiwi's room and closed the door behind him. He marched to the bed and saw his girl twisting and turning. He sat down next to her and lay a hand on her arm.  
"Sweetheart, wake up. You're having a nightmare…"  
Kiwi's eyes flew open and she looked at him. She burst into tears and Vinnie quickly scooped her in his arms.  
"Ssshh… It's okay, you're safe…", he whispered.  
Kiwi said nothing, just held him tightly and cried. She just had relived her parents bike crash in her dreams, but this time it were the mice instead of her parents. God. She was so scared of losing them. It was almost ridiculous. She never had felt this dependent on someone before. But things were just the way they were right now. And this was just a dream. They were here. Most important, Vinnie was here. She grabbed his fur and buried her nose in it. His scent made her always feel calmer. It made her feel certain of the fact he was here. Really here.  
"There ya go…", Vinnie smiled when she finally stopped crying.

She looked up at him. His ruby red eyes. His beautiful white fur. That arrogant smile. Gosh. She loved him so much. And it was time to make it official. Before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with so much passion, Vinnie had no other choice than to react.  
He kissed her back and she pulled him on top of her. Her hands slid down his back and grabbed his lower body, pushing it against hers. A growl escaped his mouth, his tail lashed through the air. Kiwi noticed he was close to losing control, but that was exactly what she wanted. What she needed. Her hands made their way up again and she almost ripped off his bandoliers. He grabbed her and they rolled over, and now she was on top of him. Finally, she could touch his chest without being stopped by bandoliers and she could feel his muscles under his soft fur. Her hands slid down and her fingers followed the lines of his abs. He was so goddamn sexy. Vinnie looked up at her, his eyes somehow a few tints darker. It took her breath away. But he still had himself under control, somehow.  
She took out her shirt and was now completely naked, since she always slept in only a shirt. He looked at her appreciatively and his lips curled into that crooked, arrogant smile. He reached out his hands and his gently touch gave her goosebumps.  
"You're beautiful, sweetheart", he whispered.  
She smiled at him and her hands grabbed his pants. She quickly opened it, but when she wanted to pull it down, his hands grabbed hers.  
"Sweetheart… Are you sure about this?", he asked, his voice low and hoarse.  
She looked at him and he looked back. He already saw the answer in her eyes, but he needed her to say it out loud. Kiwi slowly continued to take out his pants, along with his underwear.  
"Yes. This is gonna happen", she said, her voice also low.  
Within seconds, Vinnie was also naked and for a moment, they both didn't move. But when she touched him, it finally happened. There was only that much a man, or a mouse, could take and he just broke like a rubber band. His eyes became even darker and he jerked upright with a growl. His hands grabbed her head, his fingers made their way in her hair and he pulled her closer to him. He kissed her with a hunger that almost took her breath away and she slammed her nails in his back. That made him even more heated. His mouth made his way to her ear and he bit it in, just like he had done on Mars. But the effect was only bigger this time and Kiwi moaned when she felt tingles in her whole body. He wrapped his strong, muscular arms around her and in one movement, she was lying on her back again. Vinnie leaned on his elbows and looked at her, breathing heavily and the look in his eyes… It almost drove her crazy.  
And it did confirm her thoughts... he finally lost control. Good.  
"Tell me if I need to stop, okay?", he breathed and Kiwi nodded.  
Slowly, he pushed himself inside of her. A sharp pain jolted through her body and she squeezed her eyes. But when Vinnie stopped, she shook her head.  
"No, don't stop…", she gasped and Vinnie did what she said.  
He moved slowly, keeping a sharp eye on her. Slowly, the pain faded till it was no longer there and Kiwi was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of pleasure. Tingles spreaded through her whole body. She closed her eyes again and her breathing fastened.  
Vinnie increased the pace and Kiwi moaned his name.  
"You okay?", he asked softly, still looking at her beautiful face. God, that voice…  
She nodded and grabbed him tightly. This was magical. Her whole body was on fire in a good way and the feeling he gave her in her belly, made her feel dizzy and took her breath away. No words could describe how happy she felt right now. She felt loved. Special. And she also felt how much she loved this crazy mouse. And she vowed to herself, she was never gonna let him go. Even if that eventually would mean she needed to go with him back to Mars. Because one thing suddenly became very clear; she would follow him anywhere.

After, they were lying under the blankets, Kiwi with her head on Vinnie's chest. She was listening to his steady heartbeat and she sighed happily.  
"That was…"  
"Amazing? Mindblown? Heaven?", Vinnie filled in for her. She giggled.  
"Yeah… all three at the same time. Thank you… For being so gentle with me."  
"Anything for you, pretty lady."  
She turned on her belly and looked at him. He looked back, his eyes half closed. She suddenly realized how tired she was. And he was too, by the looks of things.  
"You need to sleep", she said to him.  
A big yawn was his response. He smiled that lazy, arrogant smile.  
"Sex always makes me feel so lazy…", he mumbled, playing with her hair. But then he sighed.  
"I better get back downstairs."  
"Can't you stay here?", Kiwi asked softly, pulling him against her.  
"No dice, sweetheart. I made a promise to Throttle. He's gonna kill me if he finds me in your bed…", but he closed his mouth, suddenly realizing he never told her this.  
Kiwi jerked upright and stared at him.  
"What are you talking about?"  
Vinnie closed his eyes for a moment, cursing his big mouth.  
"Vinnie, answer me!", Kiwi demanded.  
The white furred mouse opened his eyes and looked at his feisty girl.  
"You remember that argument Throttle and I had? You know, that day I was almost late for diner?"  
"Yeah, of course. You're never late for diner, so it isn't that hard to remember. I also remember that argument was about me. But you said it was about my safety…"  
Kiwi studied Vinnie's face, but it gave nothing away. The skills of a mouse who lived his life hiding behind a mask.  
"It was about your safety, sweetheart. In a… different way. Throttle warned me. That if I would break your heart, I would've to deal with him…"  
"Why would he do that?", Kiwi asked, feeling confused now.  
But Vinnie sighed and turned on his side to face her.  
"Listen, sweetheart. I eh… I kinda have a reputation on Mars. I really don't wanna talk about the details, but Throttle had a good reason to warn me. But I told him I would never do anything to hurt you. You're too important."  
Kiwi looked in his ruby red eyes, and she immediately knew he was telling the truth. He had proven he cared about her. And not just one time, no, multiple times. But still…  
"I know. But does this mean we can't be together?", she asked, her blue eyes wide open.  
Vinnie shook his head.  
"No, it doesn't. But I have to admit, this…", and he gestured at the bed and Kiwi, "... wasn't meant to happen so fast… I was trying to take it slow, but you really gave me a hard time doing that, doll. I'm not known for having much self control, but I guess you already knew that...", and he winked at her. She blushed. It was her after all who practically ripped off his clothes and pushed him over the edge.  
"Yeah well, I was done with doing things slow. And Throttle will understand that."  
"I don't know… Trust me, it's for the best we keep it quiet for now. He just needs some more time..."  
Kiwi looked at him and a big smile appeared on her face.  
"Are you saying that you're scared of him? The baddest mamma jammer from the whole universe is scared for his own bro?", she teased him.  
Vinnie jerked upright.  
"What? No way! It's just… self preservation…"  
"HA, right. You don't have any self preservation", Kiwi laughed and Vinnie had it.  
He grabbed her and pushed her on the bed, while climbing on top of her. He started tickling her, and Kiwi screamed.  
"Noooo, noo, please, stop! Have mercy!", she screamed in laughter.  
Vinnie did stop, only because her screaming made his ears ring.  
"Wow, sweetheart, easy with the volume. Sensitive hearing, remember?", he whined, rubbing his ears.  
But Kiwi didn't felt sorry for him. She lifted her upper body and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him down and kissed him. It immediately fired up his passion again and he kissed her back eagerly. But suddenly they heard the door open and they both froze. Vinnie broke off the kiss and slowly, his head turned to the doorway.  
There was Throttle, leaning against the door opening, his arms crossed before his chest and a disappointed look on his face.  
Kiwi threw Vinnie off of here and quickly covered her naked body.  
"Jesus, Throttle, never heard of knocking?", she breathed, looking at the tan furred mouse.  
But Throttle ignored her and turned around.  
"Throttle, wait!", Kiwi yelled and she jumped out of bed. She wanted to follow him, but her feet got stuck into the sheets and she fell on the floor.  
Vinnie quickly picked her up.  
"See, I told ya?", he said, gently helping her to get her hair out of her face.  
Kiwi looked one more time at the open door and sighed. What a mess.

* * *

Oh dear... What will happen next?  
Puhlease review! :)


	24. Chapter 23

Hey you guys!  
Thanks again for the reviews! :)

Let's find out what is up with Throttle! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter twenty three**

The next morning during breakfast, the tension was clearly hanging in the air. Nobody said something and they were eating their pancakes in a deadly silence. Kiwi looked at Vinnie, but he stared at his plate. Then she looked at Throttle, but he also avoided her look. When she looked in the face of the gray furred giant next to her, she saw a little but uncomfortable smile. She focussed her attention back on her plate. Dammit.  
Last night was… amazing. But Vinnie had quickly left her room after Throttle did and Kiwi was left alone with her thoughts. She still didn't quite understand what was going on here. And she couldn't hold it any longer. The suspense was killing her. She took a deep breath and shove her plate away.  
"Okay, this is ridiculous. What is going on here?", she demanded, her eyes fuming.  
She just wasn't good in this kinda situations and there was only that much she could take. So, as always, she got angry. She looked at the mice, but only Throttle and Modo looked back. Vinnie was looking at Throttle. But there was still that almost suffocating silence.  
"You guys better start talking, because you ain't leave this room till the air is cleared."  
Kiwi crossed her arms before her chest and leaned back in her chair, still looking at the mice.  
Vinnie also crossed his arms.  
"Yeah, Throttle. Do tell", he added, the tip of his tail twitching.  
Throttle heard the patronizing tone in the voice of his white furred bro and his tail also started to twitch.  
"I think I could say the same thing to you, Vincent!", he snapped at Vinnie.  
"Why me? It's you who's giving us all the silent treatment since last night. Come on, spill it. Bro", Vinnie snarled back, saying the last word sarcastic.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Oh god, here we go again. It was Modo who intervened.  
"Bro's, come on. We ain't kids anymore. We can talk 'bout this like adults", he said, looking at Throttle and Vinnie.  
Throttle sighed. But Vinnie, of course, didn't know when to stop.  
"Yeah, the big fella has a point, you know. We ain't kids anymore. So, I can have sex with whoever I want. Whenever I want and how many times I want."  
Kiwi breathed in sharply. Modo buried his face in his hands and Throttle… well, he almost lost control. He slammed his fist on the table and pointed his finger at his white furred bro.  
"You better watch your big mouth, Vincent. You promised me something, remember?"  
"I promised I wouldn't hurt her. And I didn't. So, I don't see the problem here!", Vinnie snapped back, his fur bristled.  
"Oh right, I forgot. You don't think before you act, so you just jumped on her. Well, then I guess I should be one to tell you, like I always do, what the consequences will be… NO, shut up!", he growled when Vinnie wanted to protest. "Have you even thought about the future? She's a human, Vincent. You're a Martian Mouse. What will happen when we're gonna go back home? Because you know that's gonna happen!"

There was a deadly silence. Kiwi took a deep breath.  
"Can I say something here?", but Throttle shook his head. He studied Vinnie's face, who suddenly looked defeated. Of course, mister Prince Charming hadn't thought about this at all. He was, like always, living in the moment.  
"I still wanna say something, Throttle. And I think I have a good right to speak up, even if you're talking about me like I'm not in the same room. Vinnie didn't jump on me, I actually kinda jumped on him…", Kiwi explained with a blush. Dammit. This was humiliating.  
Throttle stared at her.  
"Really, he wanted to take things slow, but I didn't gave him the chance. So, what happened last night is on me. And about the future… Well, I do know one thing. If you guys are heading back to Mars, I'm coming with ya…"  
Another deadly silence. Vinnie narrowed his eyes, studying her face. Would she really do that for him?  
But Throttle shook his head.  
"No dice, Kiwi. You belong here. Mars isn't your home, Earth is. Mars is a warzone. It's not safe. Today is the prove of that!"  
It felt like he slapped her in the face.  
"So what was all that 'we're family' blablabla about then? You're just gonna leave me behind, after everything we've been through?"  
Throttle's face softened.  
"We are family, Kiwi. That's no lie. And I care about you as my sister. But loving someone sometimes requires to let them go. For their own safety. For protection."  
Kiwi sighed. Somehow, she wasn't that surprised, actually. She could understand where he was coming from. But it still was painful.  
"But I can't live without you anymore…", she whispered, tears in her eyes.  
Now it was Throttle's turn to sigh and he looked at Vinnie.  
"This is exactly what I mean, Vinnie…", but Kiwi interrupted him.  
"Not just Vinnie, all three of you. Don't you see? I love you all, in different ways maybe, but I do!"  
Modo opened his mouth for the first time.  
"By the looks of things, we're gonna be here for while. So, why don't we just let this all sink in and talk about it later?", he suggested.  
"I still don't understand what's wrong with you, Throttle. Why are you acting like this?", Kiwi asked. She just couldn't stop herself. This wasn't how she knew the tan furred mouse. He normally was always so understanding.  
Vinnie finally opened his mouth again.  
"It was you who told me I deserved a shot of happiness…", he said softly, looking at his leader.  
No matter how stubborn he was, no matter how many times he wished he just could do whatever the hell he wanted, Throttle was his best friend, bro and leader. And he somehow needed his permission. Weird, but true. That's just how things were.  
"I know, I know. And you do, bro. You do…", Throttle answered, laying a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
Vinnie looked at him, also a little lost why his friend was acting like this. But he had a nagging feeling why. He just hoped he wouldn't bring it up.

Kiwi sighed.  
"I'm gonna ask you this one more time, Throttle. Is this really about the future? Because I somehow have a hard time believing that…"  
Vinnie looked pleading at Throttle, but the tan furred mouse ignored him. He looked at Kiwi, but before he could say something, Vinnie quickly opened his mouth.  
"Oh, it's nothing. Our fearless leader just has a hard time with letting things go sometimes. No biggie."  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes. Vinnie smiled his most charming smile, but his eyes told her he was getting anxious. And she wondered why. But she was sick and tired of the secrets.  
"Maybe you have something to tell me, Vinnie?", she asked, her voice a little shaky.  
Vinnie's ears drooped a little and he looked at Throttle. Throttle looked at Modo and Modo looked at Kiwi. Vinnie let out his breath, knowing he just lost. He jumped at his feet and left the kitchen. Kiwi saw him walking to the guest house but she didn't follow him.  
It was time Throttle was gonna speak up. Throttle knew that too, so he cleared his throat.  
"Listen, I already told you there was someone, a long time ago. Her name was Harley. She was a mechanic and a nurse at the Freedom Fighters. Vinnie was crazy about her and she obviously felt the same way. When things finally started to work out between them, she was kidnapped by a rat, called Mace. He was a traitor who had infiltrated the Freedom Fighters, pretending to be a mouse. We just won a big battle and we were celebrating, when he grabbed Harley and vanished into thin air. Vinnie tried to grab her, but he was too late. He just left her outta his sight for one minute, and wham, she was gone…"  
"She was the one who gave him the mask, right? And who treated his wounds after… you know…", Kiwi asked.  
"Yeah. He took her loss very hard. He felt responsible, in his eyes he'd failed to protect her. We tried to told him that it wasn't his fault, but he… well, you know how he is. He searched for months. We all did, but Vinnie was gone every day. He got close a couple of times, but he somehow was never on time. It was nerve wracking, really…"  
"It took us a whole lotta convincing to make Vinnie clear he needed to let go…", Modo added.  
"Yeah. But we had no choice. She was already gone for months, the chance she's still alive was getting smaller every minute. And Vinnie… it was obvious he couldn't take it much longer. So, we told him to move on. For his own sake. And he did… But he just wasn't himself for a period. I think he was desperately searching for someone to take in Harley's place. But of course, no girl could give him the same feeling. So, he broke a lot of hearts. Some would say he just played them, but I know there was more to it. But still…"  
"It just ain't right to treat women like he did…", Modo sighed.  
"One of the girls turned out to be Carbine's niece. So, Carbine gave him a whole lot of trouble. After that, he got himself back on track. Sorta. It's Vinnie were talking about. But Carbine's niece was having a real hard time with it. It caused a lot of tension at the base."  
Kiwi was playing with her spoon.  
"And now you're scared he's doing the same to me?", she asked softly.  
"I guess…"  
Kiwi lifted her head and looked at Throttle with a determined look on her face.  
"Don't be. You told me yourself, he cares."  
"I know. But I promised Carbine to… to make sure he never would hurt someone again like he had hurt her niece… She wanted him gone. I didn't. So, I promised her to keep him in line."  
The puzzle was complete. Seeing Carbine had reminded him at this promise. That's why he was acting like this all of a sudden. And it also explained why Vinnie didn't like the light gray furred female General.  
"Never a boring day with that white furred loudmouth, ain't it?", she smiled.  
Throttle smiled back, he could see in her eyes she understood.  
"I know, right?", he chuckled. But then his face grew serious again.  
"I'm sorry, Kiwi. It wasn't my place to… well, you know…"  
"It's okay, Throttle. I understand. Really, I do."  
Throttle looked unusual sad all of a sudden. He sighed and stared at his plate.  
"I still can't believe she really thought, really believed that we worked for Limburger…", he said softly.  
Tears filled Kiwi's eyes by hearing the sad tone in his voice. Poor Throttle. Always trying so hard to keep things under control. To do the right thing. She could only imagine how this betrayal had broken his heart. And he had forgiven her immediately. He was such a sweet guy. She gently reached out and grabbed his hand.  
"Throttle, I know it hurts. But you told me yourself, war changes you. But she loves you."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"Remember I'm good at reading people? Mice included", and she winked. "I saw it in her eyes. She just needed a little… wake up call. I just know, one day, you guys will be together again."  
Throttle squeezed her hand.  
"Thanks, Kiwi."  
"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me for a minute, I need to talk to something white, arrogant and stubborn."  
And she walked to the guesthouse, hearing Modo and Throttle chuckling.

She found Vinnie on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He looked up when he saw her, somehow scared that she was gonna be mad at him. But she marched straight towards him, jumped on top of him and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.  
"You should've told me", she whispered against his lips.  
"I know… I'm sorry."  
"No more secrets, okay?"  
"No more secrets, sweetheart."  
Kiwi knew why Throttle had his concerns. She understood. But the past was the past. And Kiwi wasn't stupid. She knew Vinnie cared about her. This wasn't just about the sex. This was more. She wasn't mad at him. How could she be mad? She hardly could blame him for his behaviour after such a devastating loss. And it wasn't his first loss. And then there was Jester… And all the other things he had seen and experienced. Things she still wasn't aware of.  
So, how could she be mad at him? She only loved him even more.

"What's this?", Modo asked when they drove through the city and he saw a big poster hanging on the wall. A couple of weeks had passed and everybody was recovered from the events that had happened on Mars and after. Both Throttle and Vinnie were acting normal to each other again.  
Throttle looked at the poster.  
"Motocross Championship at Quickly Field", he read out loud, his nose wrinkled.  
Vinnie almost fell off his bike.  
"Motocross? Did someone really say motocross in my presence?", he asked, a arrogant look on his face.  
"It seems that the winner will get a crown of Motocross Champ of the Galaxy and… oh man… A year supply of free chili dogs!"  
Modo rolled his eyes.  
"Free dogs? Smells like bait to me…" and he crossed his arms.  
Vinnie was obviously not amused.  
"Hey! I already am a disputed Motocross Champ of the galaxy… Who put my title up for grabs anyway?!", he yelled outraged.  
Throttle swung an arm around his neck.  
"Hey, chill, bro. It's all a Limburger trap to us anyway…"  
"Yeah…", Modo said, patting Vinnie's arm. "After all, who else but us would enter a Motocross race with nothing but chilidogs as the price?"

Kiwi walked into the garage and noticed the mice were busy with tuning their bikes. Well, Throttle and Modo were. Vinnie was sulking on a chair. Hmm… She saw a flyer lying on the desk.  
"What's this, guys?", and she looked at it. Hmmm…  
"A contest for Motocross Champ of the Galaxy? Ugh, what is that stinkfish up to now?"  
"Trying to cut my title, that's what!", Vinnie growled and stared angrily at the floor again.  
Kiwi patted him on the shoulders.  
"Come on, guys. It's obviously a trap…"  
"Sure it is", Throttle agreed.  
"We whipped that butterball before. We'll just do it again", Modo added.  
"Yeah. Don't worry, sweetheart. Those chili dogs are as good as ours for sure", Vinnie winked at her.  
"Oh, why didn't you say so? Now it makes perfectly sense why you're risking your life!", Kiwi answered sarcastic, squeezing his shoulders..  
"A year of free dogs! Who wouldn't? Duh…", Vinnie chuckled, like he was stating the obvious.  
Kiwi sighed and looked at Throttle.  
"Come on, Throttle. You're the responsible here. You guys aren't gonna do this, right?"  
"Why not? We can handle them. And knowing Limburger, he's up to something. So, we need to stop him."  
Kiwi rubbed her chin. She had a real bad feeling about this.  
She suddenly sniffed.  
"You guys smell that?", she asked.  
The mice sniffed too and Vinnie wrinkled his nose.  
"Ugh… what is that?"  
Modo walked to the window.  
"Something in the wind, bro's. Oh, and Kiwi ma'am. Something they call bad news. Look who's making a nice comeback?", and he pointed outside.  
"The Loogie Brothers…", they all said in unison.  
Vinnie jumped on his bike.  
"Let's grab them. Sweetheart, you stay here. We all know what happened last time when we ran into these clowns. And I'm not sure if my balls are gonna survive another battle with your knee", he winked at her.  
Kiwi's head almost exploded and she punched him on the arm.  
Vinnie laughed and quickly kissed her on the cheek before he drove out. Throttle and Modo were already outside.

When they reached the Loogie Brothers, they stopped.  
"Hey! Didn't you stinkfish learn anything last time?", Vinnie asked, a mischievous smile on his face.  
"Yeah. Like the good guys always win!", Modo added, also smiling.  
"You Biker Mice are not scaring us", Hakka said.  
"Yeah! We came prepared!", Honka agreed and pointed at something behind the mice. "Look!"  
The mice looked over their shoulder, but that was a stupid move. Honka grabbed his gun and shot at Throttle, who flew off his bike and landed in the gutter. His head slammed against the edge.  
"Oh man… I don't know what hurts worse… my best side or the fact that I fell for a moldy old trick like that one…", he moaned when he tried to stand up, but the pain made him sit down again.  
The Loogie Brothers were cheering, but Modo and Vinnie weren't.  
"You just made a big mistake, garbage breath!", Vinnie growled.  
"Yeah… nobody blasts our bro!", Modo agreed and they drove towards the two fish.  
But again, they were prepared.  
When the mice were close, the Loogies quickly jumped outta the way and pulled on a rope. A big, wooden plank came up and Vinnie and Modo crashed against it, also flew off their bikes and landed right on top of Throttle, who just had succeeded to get back on his feet again.  
"You sissy rodents are not so much!", Hakka said, looking at the mice from his buggy.  
"Yeah, and when we're done with you there'll be even less", Honka added and grabbed a weird looking gun. He pulled the trigger and a green smoke surrounded the mice. They coughed because the smell was almost suffocating them, but luckily, it soon was gone again. But so were the Loogie Brothers.  
Vinnie looked at his bro's.  
"Ah man… defending my motocross title might be a little trickier than I thought…"

Back home, they quickly took a shower and started to patch up their bikes.  
Kiwi was watching them and sighed.  
"Well, I just hope you guys have learned your lesson…", she said, looking at the damaged bikes.  
"What lesson, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, looking at her over his bike.  
"That this motocross competition and you mice obviously don't mix!"  
Throttle was just taking a sip out his can of rootbeer, but almost choked in it when he heard Kiwi's words.  
"Are you kidding?", he managed to squeeze out.  
"No way! Look what they did to our rides!", Modo yelled outraged, pointing at his beloved bike.  
"Not to mention my pride! We've gotta pay the Loogies and Limburger back, BIG TIME!", Vinnie agreed, his voice raw.  
"Okay… But I'm coming with ya…", Kiwi said, pointing at them.  
"Sorry sweetheart. But this is strictly herostuff…", Vinnie winked at her.  
"Besides, it's way up to the dangerous skill, babe. No stadium tickets are sold as a special safety precaution", Throttle added.  
"But that's making it even more suspicious, right?", Kiwi asked. "He obviously planning to destroy both you and the stadium…"  
"Leave the subtile to us. We just have to destroy him first."  
Kiwi sighed. Gosh, sometimes they were so overprotecting. And stubborn. And typical manly. Good thing she didn't take orders from them.

Raceday.  
The stadium was transformed into a real circuit, with sand as underground. Hills, dangerously looking holes, ramps… It was all there.  
The mice were standing at the start, next to them; the Loogie Brothers, Evil Eye with his sidekicks and some goons from Limburger. Vinnie chuckled. This was gonna be awesome. Throttle and Modo looked a little bit more concerned. The white furred mouse had only one thing on his mind, and that was defending his title. However, his bro's couldn't care less about the title. No, they were worried about what Limburger was up to now…  
Greasepit was standing in front of them, with two flags in his hands.  
"Why do I always get the has no fun? I'm tired of always getting orders around… Wave the flag, start the race, don't pick yous nose…"  
He sighed and lowered his arms in self pity. But he forgot he was still holding the flags and now they were down, he gave the start signal without even knowing it.  
Everybody sped away and Greasepit made a hasty retreat.  
Vinnie quickly took the lead, but suddenly one of the sidekicks of Evil Eye drove next to him. The little man in his tiny buggy raised a cannon that was almost as big as himself, but Vinnie put his foot in it when the little guy wanted to fire. The whole cannon exploded, along with the buggie. Vinnie drove further, a big smile on his face.  
"Alright! Kicking up the toe jam!", he cheered. His bro's joined him.  
"Let's show them how things in Chitown are done, Vinman!", Throttle called out and they drove further.  
Vinnie hit the accelerator and left his bro's behind in a cloud of dust. The Loogie Brothers suddenly popped up behind him, shooting at him. He used his weight to whirl his bike, avoiding the shots without losing too much speed. With a big smile on his face, he drove up the ramp in front of him and pulled back his handlebars. His bike flew into the air and he made few somersaults before he landed.  
"Yeaaahhh! Still better than the best!", he cheered, but the Loogies catched up.  
"You are good, mouse", Hakka said from his left.  
"But we are bad!", Honka added from his right.  
"And bad is better!", Hakka agreed.  
They both came closer and closer, obviously trying to crush Vinnie between them. But the white furred mouse wasn't gonna let that happen. He fired his jets and jumped into the air. The Loogies followed him, still on both sides.  
"Now you eat our stink, mouse!", Hakka yelled and Vinnie saw that they aimed the same guns at him like last time.  
Oh hell no.  
"Not this time, finheads", and he jumped off his bike at the same time the Loogies pulled the trigger.  
Vinnie made two somersaults and landed on his bike again, looking over his shoulder. The Loogies had shot each other and were falling down, screaming loud.  
"Aaaoow!", Vinnie laughed, shaking his head.  
Throttle and Modo were looking up with each a grenade in their hands.  
"Here comes the toilet boys twins", Throttle smiled, pulling the pin out of his grenade.  
"Let's flush 'em", Modo smiled, also pulling out the pin. They left the grenades on the ground and quickly drove away. The Loogies landed on them and because of the explosion, they flew out of the stadium.

Vinnie was back on the ground again and his bro's drove behind him. They were followed by Evil Eye and the goons.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder, a very smugly look on his face.  
"Almost over, bro's. And surprise, surprise… Guess who's in the lead? Mwahahaa!"  
And he gained speed. But Evil Eye wasn't gonna give up. He suddenly was next to Vinnie, his eye already glowing red to use his hostility ray on the white furred mouse.  
"It ain't over till the fat lady sings… ohh yeahhh", he sang, but suddenly…  
BAM!  
He crashed against one of the poles that were carrying the stadium lights. The goons crashed against him. Throttle looked behind him.  
"Man… That freak needs a lesson in traffic school…", he chuckled. But Modo wasn't amused.  
"Yeah well, speaking of school…", and he pointed at Vinnie, who was almost at the finish. "We're about to get a lesson in humility…"  
The gray furred giant was right. Vinnie was already too far away from them. No way they could catch up.  
Vinnie took the last ramp, landed and flew over the finish with his hands in the air.  
His foot slammed on the brake pedal and his bike stopped with shrieking brakes.  
"AAAAAAOOOWWWW! Erect a statue! Declare a holiday! Give me a girl to kiss!", Vinnie cheered.  
Throttle and Modo stopped behind him.  
"He won…", Modo said, looking at Throttle with a tormented look on his face.  
Throttle leaned on his handlebars and sighed heavily.  
"Yeah…"  
Then, he sat up straight again.  
"Ah well, at least we know what the main topic of conversation is gonna be for the next six months", he chuckled, trying to make the best of it.  
Modo shook his head, his arms crossed before his chest. Vinnie joined them with a big smile.  
"HA! Won the race, got my title back and did it with style… van Wham style!"  
"Yeah, yeah. But we still have one fish to fry", Throttle said quickly.  
"Let's go find him!", Modo added and they revved their bikes.  
Vinnie followed them, still euphoric and babbling about the stunts he'd done during the race. Throttle and Modo rolled their eyes and ignored him. Not that that stopped Vinnie. Oh no. And with their teeth clenched, they drove out the stadium. But what they saw there, made them stop death in their tracks. It even shut Vinnie up.

"KIWI!", Throttle called out after a short silence.  
The human girl was smiling sheepishly at them.  
"Hi guys…"  
Vinnie jumped off his bike and walked over to her.  
"What the hell are you doing here, sweetheart?"  
Kiwi pointed at the purple limousine behind her.  
"Well, I was right about Limburger wanting to destroy both you and the stadium. But I put the explosives in the trunk of his car. Now, all we need to do is wait till…"  
She suddenly heard a noise.  
"Quick, drive up to that building! We can watch from there!" and she jumped at Vinnie's bike.  
The mice decided to do what she told them. Maybe they didn't like it if she was putting herself in danger, she wasn't stupid and they trusted her.  
When they were on top of the building, they looked down. They saw Limburger running to his car, followed by Karbunkle.  
"HA! Just like I thought. That cheeseball is predictable, alright. I just knew that after you guys win the race, he was gonna run back to his tower…"  
Limburger climbed in his car and indeed, drove back to his tower with dangerous speed.  
Kiwi looked at her watch and smiled.  
"And punctual as always…"  
Throttle looked at her and wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but then…  
BOOM!  
The whole tower exploded into a million pieces.  
"AAAAOOWW! Kiwi, sweetheart, you're the best!", Vinnie cheered, high fiving her.  
"Yeah, that was pretty smart thinking and perfect timing, Kiwi ma'am!", Modo agreed.  
Throttle just smiled.  
"You're one heck of a girl, babe!"  
Kiwi laughed.  
"Ah, it was nothing", she said, but her eyes were twinkling. She just loved it when they acknowledged her place in the team.  
"Well, bro's. Chilidog time! My treat!", and Vinnie held up his price.  
"Man, good thing you scored the price instead of the Loogies", Throttle smiled.  
"Yeah, you know what eating chilidogs does to them…", Modo chuckled.  
"Guys, guys, come on! As if they even had a chance... ", and Vinnie flexed his muscles.  
"Oh momma, here we go again…", Modo sighed.  
Throttle raised his fist into the air.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, a woman closed the file she was reading with a loud bang. She knew everything she needed to know. Her gaze landed on the journals that were lying crisscross on the floor. It had taken her months to read them, to decode the almost unreadable handwrite from her greatgreatgreat etcetera grandfather. But she wasn't one that gave up easily. And now… it was time. Time to pack her stuff and go to Chicago. Time to end this, once and for all. Time to collect the jackpot...

* * *

Oh oh, poor Throttle and Modo. Vinnie sure is good in testing their patience.

And what is it about this woman?  
Friend... or enemy?  
Hmmm...

Please review! :)


	25. Chapter 24

I'm thinking about a more creative way to thank you guys for the reviews, because it's getting old. But I can't think of one, so;  
Thank you so much for the reviews. Don't know how to say how grateful I am you guys take the time to say something about my story.  
It may seem like something small, but it means the world to me.

Very well, on with the story. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty four**

Modo was busy cleaning his bike. He always worked on his bike when he was feeling sad. And oh momma, he felt sad alright. Today, it was eleven years ago he'd lost Cami. And even if he missed her every day, this day made him miss her even more. And even if he thought it wasn't possible, today he felt even more depressed than usual.  
Knowing that Vinnie and Kiwi had a thing made him realize how lonely he felt, actually. And how badly he yearned for love. But he knew he was probably gonna be alone for the rest of his life. He was a soldier in a war that never seemed to end. Maybe he wasn't that bad looking before he got wounded, but look at him now. Who would want him? He stared at his metal arm and his other hand slowly touched the eyepatch that covered the hole where his eye used to be.  
He let out a heavy sigh and focussed on his bike again. It was nothing like him to feel so depressed. But he just was.  
"Modo, are you alright? You're polishing your bike for like, three hours now…"  
Kiwi's voice.  
The gray furred giant looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile from what he hoped wasn't that sad, but knew it was.  
Kiwi walked over to him and lay a hand on his shoulder. Normally, she couldn't reach it, but Modo was sitting on his knees now.  
"Oh Modo, is there anything I can do for you?", she asked, her eyes filled with concern.  
Modo thought about it for a second. But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't take away the pain. The loneliness. The big, black hole in his heart that was caused by Cami's death and never had recovered. She couldn't give him back his arm or eye.  
"No, thank you, Kiwi ma'am", he said softly.  
"You know you can talk to me, right?"  
"I know, but… just not today... No hard feelings, Kiwi ma'am."  
Kiwi wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug. Modo blushed and patted her back a little unhandy. Kiwi pulled back, looked at him with a sympathetic smile and walked away, leaving Modo alone with his thoughts again.  
He sighed. This just wasn't his day.

Kiwi dropped on the couch next to Throttle.  
"What is wrong with Modo? He is obviously not feeling well but you doesn't seem surprised about it…"  
Throttle looked up from his book. It was about human history and he really enjoyed reading it.  
"It's about Cami. Today, it's… ehm…. eleven years ago. He's always been very quiet on this day ever since. Not really surprising, I suppose…"  
"Oh, gosh… Yeah, that explains a lot. Poor guy…"  
"Yeah…"  
There was a silence and Throttle focussed on his book again.  
Kiwi was deep in thoughts. She suddenly realized something.  
"How old are you guys actually? I never asked…"  
Throttle looked up from his book again and closed it.  
"Modo is 29, I am 28 and Vinnie is 26."  
"So, you were 18 when you joined the Freedom Fighters?"  
"Yeah, but it wasn't called the Freedom Fighters at that time. We helped Stoker to get it off the ground. The first rule Stoker came up with, was that everybody needed to be 18 or older. We noticed a lot of mice wanted to fight back, and many were way too young. We admired their courage off course, but they were just kids."  
"Makes sense… Hey, but Modo told me Vinnie joined the group shortly after you guys… If I still can calculate right, he was 16…"  
Throttle chuckled.  
"Yeah, there is nothing wrong with your calculation. He lied about his age."  
Kiwi smiled. No surprise there.  
"And you guys believed him?"  
"Hey, you know him. He's always been a smooth talker, even if he was only 16. He was very convincing."  
"That's Vinnie for ya", Kiwi laughed.  
"I know, right. Crazy kid."  
"How did you guys become such good friends? I mean, with the differences in age and all…"  
"Well, I already knew Modo off course. And when Vinnie joined the group, we immediately had this connection. Well, I must say, Modo needed some time to get used at that loudmouth, but he soon warmed up to him. I mean, just like you said, never a boring day while he's around, right? Stoker saw the potency in our three and trained us like a team. Turned out that when we were working together, we're almost unbeatable. We all have different skills and together, well… You know."  
"Yeah, you guys do make a pretty good team. How did you become the leader?"  
"Stoker trained me as the leader. And well, it's in my blood actually. My father was the owner and manager of the biggest and most successful motorcycle company on Mars."  
"Wauw, that's impressive. And you do have good leader skills. Even Vinnie listens to you, that's saying something."  
Throttle laughed, shaking his head.  
"It wasn't always like this, trust me. When I met him, he was way worse than he is now. Guess that's because he's older now. But the first years… man."  
Kiwi thought about it, but had a hard time picturing it.  
"Worse than he is now? How is that even possible?", she wondered out loud.  
"Yeah, well, believe me. He was like this eager, outta control puppy. A happy puppy, that is. And a very arrogant puppy. But he just got himself in situations, man… sometimes I'm surprised he's still alive. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he is. Ah man, the good old days…"

Kiwi smiled. Most of the time, when they spoke about the past, it was about the bad things that had happened to them. But luckily, there were also good memories.  
Throttle looked at her.  
"And what about you? I find it hard to believe you don't have any good friends…"  
Kiwi sighed.  
"Ah well. I thought I had good friends. Till the moment my parents died. They always say; when you're going through a dark time, you'll figure out who your real friends are. Well, it's all true. They just didn't knew how to handle it. They were there for me, at the beginning. But somehow, there is this weird tipping point. As if it's taking them too long. They somehow expect you to get over it. But what if you can't get over it? Well, then you end up alone."  
"Man… Must be tough to be abandoned like that by your own friends…", Throttle said slowly. It was a hard thing for him to believe, since Martian Mice were very loyal to each other. You just didn't let someone down. No, friendship was just like marriage, for better and for worse. Till death takes you apart.  
"Yeah, it was. But now I know it's saying more over them than over me. And I don't need people like that in my life. Ruby is the only friend I have. I met her in the hospital, right after the accident. I wasn't that heavily injured, but the medics from the ambulance insisted that I would come with them for a check up. Ruby was the doctor who examined me and we immediately had a connection. And I guess she was feeling sorry for me, since I was completely alone all of a sudden. She gave me her personal number, in secret, because a doctor can't have any sort of relation with the patient. If it wasn't for her, I would be dead by now. Or still heavily depressed. She's important."  
"She's a real piece of work", Throttle chuckled, thinking about the way Ruby had communicated with them.  
"Yeah, I know, right. But that's what I like about her. You always know that she's telling the truth. And that was exactly what I needed back then. What I still need. No fuss, just the way it is."  
"That's good. Honesty. I hate lying and betrayal", Throttle agreed..  
"Yeah, me too…", Kiwi nodded. She looked up at the tan furred mouse.  
"Throttle? Are you really gonna leave me behind if you guys are going back to Mars?"  
Throttle looked at her, his ears dropped a little. After a long silence, he opened his mouth.  
"Truth to be told, I don't know. Really, I don't. I just want you to be happy. But I also want you to be safe…"  
Kiwi gently took his hand.  
"I know, Throttle. I know."  
She somehow felt relief. The answer wasn't just no. Things were gonna be alright eventually. She just know it was.

Suddenly, a white blur flew into the living room.  
"Bro's, bro's! Oh…" and Vinnie stopped when he only saw Throttle and Kiwi.  
"Where is Modo?", he asked, his head crooked. But suddenly, it dawned on him.  
"Oh, right. More reason to go for a ride. If I'm gonna be stuck here any longer, I probably will fade away. Or worse, get even more bored."  
"You really need to get your priorities straight, Vinnie", Kiwi giggled.  
"What? Why?", Vinnie asked confused, convinced there was nothing wrong with his priorities.  
Throttle shook his head with a smile on his face. But he did stand up. He also could use a ride and he knew for sure, Modo would too.  
"Alright, I hear ya, bro. Let's go", and he walked to the garage.  
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.  
"Oh yeah!", and he grabbed Kiwi and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him. He kissed her back roughly and set her on her feet again.  
"Hold the fort, babe. I'll be back", and he winked at her with that smile on his face she loved so much. Before she could react, he was already gone.  
"Crazy mouse", she giggled and turned on the TV.

The mice left the garage and jumped over the fence.  
"AAAOOOWW!"  
Vinnie landed between his bro's and popped a wheelie.  
"On the road again!", he cheered happily.  
Throttle chuckled and looked at Modo, who was still awfully quiet.  
"You okay, big fella?", he asked.  
Modo shrugged, but a little smile appeared on his face.  
"Well, I gotta admit, a little bit of fresh air was more than welcome."  
"Don't let Vinnie hear ya, or we'll never hear the end of it", Throttle warned him, but the white furred mouse was too busy with himself. No surprise there.  
Vinnie sped forward, whooping and cheering.  
But suddenly, a woman popped up between two cars that were parked alongside the road.  
"Vinnie, look out!", Throttle yelled.  
Vinnie hit the brakes, but his tires blocked and his bike slid further, closer to the woman, who was staring in shock at the red racing bike that was coming closer and closer. But then…  
BAM!  
Modo popped up outta nowhere and crashed against Vinnie's ride, forcing the red racing bike to change direction. The gray furred giant quickly grabbed his white furred friend before he would fall off his bike and Vinnie's bike crashed against a car that was parked on the other side off the road. There was a silence for a moment. Modo gently set Vinnie on his feet and jumped off his bike.  
"Ma'am, are...", he started, but when the woman lifted her head to face him, it felt as if he got struck by lighting.  
The woman looked back at him, shock written on her face. Modo was standing close to her and noticed she was tall enough to reach his shoulder. She had strong, long legs and a slender, but muscular body. His gaze landed on her face, that was surrounded with wild, blond curls. She looked at him with her beautiful, sparkling green eyes wide open. Her mouth, with soft looking lips, was hanging open. Oh momma. She was the most beautiful human woman he'd ever seen.

In the meantime, Vinnie had recovered himself from the first shock and punched Modo on the arm.  
"Hey man, what gives? Look at my ride!", he called out with a outraged look on his face, pointing at his bike. "I had it all under control, no need to bash in like that!"  
But Modo ignored him. He was still staring at the woman. By the looks of things, he didn't even hear his younger bro.  
Throttle quickly joined them, laying a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
The woman lifted her hand and ran it through her hair, clearly not at ease. The jacket she was wearing lifted and Vinnie spotted a gun in a holster against her body. He immediately grabbed his and aimed it at her. When Modo heard the click behind him, he finally came to senses and knocked the weapon outta Vinnie's hand.  
"NO!"  
"Hey!"  
"Behave yourself when a lady is involved, bro!", Modo warned him. He looked at her again. "Besides, she don't look dangerous…"  
Throttle rubbed his chin, he just didn't trust this woman. The blond headed woman sighed and looked at Modo.  
"Thank you, sir. For saving my life…"  
Modo felt his heart skip a beat when he heard her voice. It almost sounded like Christmas bells. Oh momma…  
"No problem, ma'am. Are you okay?"  
"A little shaken, but next to that; I'm fine. Thanks to you…", and she looked at him with waving eyelashes.  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes, just like Throttle. But Modo only smiled a little uncomfortable, a little blush on his cheeks.  
"Care to explain why a pretty lady like yourself is walking around with a gun?", Vinnie asked, his eyes filled with suspicion.  
The woman looked at him, her eyes fuming all of a sudden.  
"That's none of your business!"  
Vinnie raised his eyebrows. This lady sure had a little attitude hidden behind that innocent pretty face of hers.  
"Well, I'm afraid it is, lady…", Throttle said with a low voice.  
Modo quickly intervened.  
"Look, ma'am, all my me and my bro's want is to keep this city safe. So eh, maybe you can explain why you're wearing a gun..?"  
The woman looked at Modo, her face suddenly soft again. Throttle shared a quick look with Vinnie.  
"Fine. I think you guys can help me. I'm sure you know Lawrence Limburger?"  
The mice their mouth fell open.  
"What?", Throttle managed to say.  
"The big cheese? You bet we do, sweetheart!", Vinnie snorted.  
"We hate him from his scummy line to his moldy core…", Modo growled.  
"Well, he's why I'm here. My name is Flo Barker. I'm a bounty hunter and traveled from far to take him down."  
Throttle rubbed his chin. The name Barker somehow sounded familiar, but he couldn't wrap his mind around it.  
"Well then, if you're after Limburger, we have the same enemy. Maybe you should come home with us, ma'am…", Modo suggested.  
Vinnie sighed, but Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, might be best… It seems we got a mutual goal", he agreed, only so he could keep an eye on this woman. There was just something about her that he didn't trust. And by the looks of it, Vinnie had the same feeling. Normally, he wouldn't care to bring a lady this beautiful with them, but Throttle noticed his reluctance.  
But Modo… Hmmm… He immediately fell for her act, without blinking.  
Modo jumped on his bike and looked at Flo.  
"May I have the pleasure to escorting you, ma'am?", he asked, still with that blush on his cheeks.  
"You got it, big guy", and climbed behind him.  
Vinnie walked across the street, softly cursing under his breath. He grabbed his bike, which wasn't that damaged luckily, and they drove back home.

Kiwi heard their engines and she quickly walked to the garage to check how Modo was doing. She was worried because they were back way earlier than she'd expected. But when she burst inside, the first thing she saw was a tall, pretty, blond headed woman sitting on the back of Modo's bike. What the…  
She looked at Vinnie, who didn't look happy and she noticed his damaged bike. Then, her gaze landed on Throttle, who also had this frown on his face. Modo, on the other hand, never looked better. He gently helped the woman to climb off his bike.  
Kiwi cleared her throat.  
"What is the meaning of this?"  
Modo whirled around by the sudden sound of her voice.  
"Oh, this is Flo, Kiwi ma'am. Flo, this is Kiwi. We eh… We kinda ran into her on the streets. She is a bounty hunter and she's in Chitown to take down Limburger."  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes.  
"A bounty hunter? You guys just brought a murderer to my house?", she asked with a low voice, her eyes fuming.  
There was a silence, but Flo broke it.  
"I'm obviously not welcome here. I'll leave."  
Modo's ears drooped and he looked at Kiwi with a pleading look on his face.  
Throttle grabbed Kiwi by the shoulders and pushed her outta the garage, singing to Vinnie and Modo he would talk to her. He closed the door behind them and dragged her with him to the living room.  
"Throttle, what…", but Throttle interrupted her.  
"Listen, babe. We brought her with us because we don't trust her. Stoker always taught me to keep your enemies close."  
Kiwi shook her head in confusion.  
"What? So you bring your enemy to MY house? Honestly, this doesn't make any sense. And what the hell is wrong with Modo? He doesn't seem to have a problem with her."  
"I'm not sure what is up with this woman, but I needed to make a decision in the heat of the moment. And this will give us the chance to find out more about her. It doesn't happen that often, but I could be wrong, ya know?"  
"Okay, fine. She can stay. For now. On one condition; from the moment I'm feeling unsafe, I'll kick her out. Okay?"  
"Fair enough."  
"Oh, and she sleeps in the guesthouse. I don't wanna sleep in the same house as a murderer."  
"Deal."

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the living room. The mice had kept their helmets on and there was a awkward silence. Flo broke it.  
"No need to keep your helmets on, guys. I know about you."  
Vinnie immediately pulled his one off, twitching his ears.  
"Much better", he sighed happily, but then a frown appeared on his face. "Wait, what? How do you know?"  
Throttle and Modo followed Vinnie's example and looked at Flo, both also curious how she could now.  
Flo smiled at Modo, before she turned her attention back at Vinnie and her face hardened. Kiwi saw it happen and crossed her arms before her chest. Throttle was right. There was something up with her.  
"Because I always do research before I'm going after my target, Einstein. I know everything about Limburger. I know what he did to Mars. And other planets. So, I know about you. Mice on bikes, trying to save the world. I must say, at first I didn't believe it. But apparently, I was wrong…"  
The tone in her voice said it all and Vinnie also crossed his arms before his chest, not amused about how this woman was talking to him. But Modo didn't seem to hear it. He was staring at her like she just fell outta heaven, including the wings and aureole.  
"This is my house, my rules. You're a guest here. I would appreciate it if you show some respect for my friends…", Kiwi warned the woman.  
Flo looked at her with a patronizing look her face, but she nodded.  
"You're right, I'm sorry."  
But Kiwi saw she wasn't.  
Modo finally came back to Earth.  
"So, ehm, what's your plan to take down that cheeseball?"  
Flo turned to face him and her face softened again. God, this woman was a real piece of work.  
"He has a job offer. I arranged a meeting with him. Tomorrow."  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"What kinda job?"  
"Secretary. But who cares? It's just a cover."  
"Hate to tell you this, but that cheese face is a lot smarter than you think. He never takes any chances. So, how can you be so sure you'll have a meeting with him instead of some minion?"  
Flo's eyes narrowed.  
"Trust me. I know."  
There was a silence again. Flo looked at Modo.  
"Why don't you show me where I can sleep? I need to rest, to make sure I'm fit enough for tomorrow."  
"Sure thing, Flo ma'am. If you follow me?."  
Throttle had quickly informed the big guy that Kiwi wanted her in the guesthouse, so Modo had decided to give her his room.  
A lady needed her privacy, right?  
When they were gone, Vinnie snorted.  
"Pretty lady attitude. Something is wrong, I can tell."  
"That's why we're gonna follow her tomorrow when she's going to Limburger, Vinnie my man", Throttle said, laying a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
Kiwi sighed. She didn't like this at all…

That night, Modo settled down on the couch. Flo hadn't left her room since he had showed it to her and he could only hope that she was okay. He lay down and stared at the ceiling. It was just weird to meet a woman like her, on the same day he'd lost Cami. But from the moment he laid eyes on her, he was lost. He'd never believed in love at first sight. Maybe because he never experienced it himself. After all, his relationship with Cami only started after years of friendship. But now, he wasn't so sure anymore. From the moment he looked into her beautiful green eyes, his body had caught fire.  
Throttle and Vinnie told him they didn't trust her, but he didn't want to hear it. The look in her eyes had told him she was pure good. How couldn't she be? Okay, she was a bounty hunter. Not one of the most pretty jobs to do. But everybody did what they had to to survive, right? And she was after Limburger. How could his bro's be against that? He had agreed to follow her tomorrow, but only to make sure she was safe.  
Oh momma… Apparently, love at first sight did exist, alright…

Vinnie was lying in his bed, with his gun hidden under his pillow. He had told Kiwi to do the same. But he couldn't sleep. His body was on edge, ready to fight. His heart pounded in his chest. Dammit. No way he was gonna get any sleep this night.

Throttle was also staring at the ceiling, his gun in his hand. His brains were making overtime, trying to remember why the name Barker sounded so familiar. But he still had no clue. He sighed. This girl had Modo wrapped around her finger, that's for sure. And he could only hope the big guy wasn't gonna pay the price...

Flo smiled, looking at the photo in her hand. To say it was a shock she almost got run over by the mice this afternoon, barely covered the load. That wasn't in her plan, after all. But quick thinking and improvising had saved her. And things worked out way better than she'd expected. She gently put the photo back in the file that was lying in front of her and smiled.  
"Tomorrow, it's time."

Kiwi was also twisting and turning. Vinnie had told her to keep her gun close and had giving her his permission to use it as soon as someone other than them came into her room. It did make her feel more safe. But still… She just wished Vinnie was here. But things were still a little bit weird between them since that day Throttle had caught them. After her first time, they didn't had sex anymore. He just kept a certain distance, and Kiwi knew he was doing that out of respect for his leader and best friend. But he gave enough signs to let her know he was still crazy about her. So, she respected his wishes. No need to rush things. They had all the time in the world. Right?  
She suddenly heard a noise and she jerked upright, grabbing her gun in the process. The door slowly opened and she aimed the gun.  
"Chill, sweetheart, it's just me."  
Kiwi lowered the gun, a smile on her face. Speak of the devil. Vinnie strolled to her bed, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips.  
Kiwi swallowed, looking at him. He wasn't wearing his bandoliers and the way how his pants… well, it was enough to almost make her drool.  
Vinnie sat down on the edge of the bed and ruffled through her hair.  
"Just came to check if you're okay."  
Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his touch.  
"I'm fine… I was just thinking about you…" and she opened her eyes.  
He was looking at her with that lazy arrogant look on his face.  
"Can't blame ya", he smiled. Kiwi rolled her eyes.  
"You okay?", she asked, playing with his fingers.  
"Yeah, just couldn't sleep…"  
She looked up at him and the intensity by which he suddenly was watching at her, set her whole body on fire. And before she could say something, he grabbed her and pushed her down on the bed, kissing her roughly. Kiwi wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back eagerly.  
"I want you…", he whispered against her lips, his hand made his way under her shirt.  
She gasped when she felt his touch and she pulled him against her.  
"Than take me…", she whispered in his ear.  
That was all the white furred mouse needed to hear. He quickly took out his sweatpants and underwear and ripped off her shirt. He looked at her and he had the same look in his eyes as the last time they were together, but even more intense. Her heart pounded in her chest. She knew he had take it slow last time, since that was her first time. But the look in his eyes told her that wasn't gonna happen this time. She was fine with it. She needed him, just as much as he needed her.  
He kissed her again, even rougher, and in one movement, he pushed himself inside of her. Kiwi moaned his name, grabbing him tightly. He set his teeth in her neck and grabbed her legs, pushing them up and held them with his arms. Leaning on his hands, he looked at her, his ruby red eyes were almost black. He moved slow at first, but soon increased the pace. Kiwi closed her eyes, her breathing heavy. She grabbed his arms and held them tightly, almost in trance because of what he was doing with her. When she used her nails, Vinnie growled and moved even faster. And that was the last push they both needed. His face darkened and he squeezed his eyes. She felt the muscles in his arms shaking and she also also closed her eyes, whispering his name.  
He relaxed and let go off her legs. She grabbed his head and kissed him, gently this time. It felt like she was floating. He kissed her back and with a heavy sigh, he rolled next to her, still breathing heavily.  
"Gosh, sweetheart…", he moaned, looking up at her with his lips curled into a satisfied smile.  
"You said it, love…", Kiwi breathed, also smiling.  
She felt so tired all of a sudden. And by the looks of things, her white furred bed partner too. She grabbed her blanket and threw it over them both, crawling against him. He wrapped his arm around her and she lay her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat, that was slowly calming down. She felt his tail wrapping around her ankle. And before they both even could stop it, they fell asleep in each others arms.

The next morning, Vinnie woke up with a startl. He looked wildly around him, but it soon dawned on him he was in Kiwi's room. He looked at his right and saw his girl lying next to him, her hand on his arm. He noticed his tail was still wrapped around her ankle, holding her tightly. She was beautiful. Her black hair fanned over her pillow, shining in the first sun rays that slipped through the curtains. Her face was completely relaxed, and it made her even more beautiful.  
But suddenly, reality hit.  
Shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck.  
He just left his bro's the whole night alone with a bounty hunter they didn't trust. Well, Modo did. But come on, the guy was obviously head over heels with her. His judgement was clouded, alright. Dammit, what a night to get distracted. Talk about bad timing. Vinnie jumped outta bed and quickly pulled on the few clothes that were lying on the floor. But when he marched at the door, he heard Kiwi whispering his name. He turned around and saw her sitting up, her eyes still thick of sleep. Her hair was a mess, but she never looked better.  
"What's your hurry?", she asked sleepy. Vinnie quickly walked back to the bed and gave her a short, but passionate kiss.  
"Sorry doll gotta go check on my bro's had a great night see ya at breakfast love ya", he babbled and he stormed out, leaving Kiwi behind with a confused look on her face. But soon, a big smile appeared on her face.  
 _Love ya._  
He'd said he loved her. He probably didn't even noticed it himself, but he did say it. She lay down again, hugging her pillow in pure happiness.

Vinnie sneaked (yeah, he sneaked, even if he hated it, but hey, desperate times asked for desperate measures) back inside the guesthouse and let out a sigh of relief. Modo was still snoring loud on the couch and Throttle was nowhere to be seen. He quickly tiptoed to his own room and jumped in bed. Pfiew. Was he good, or what? And with a smile on his face, he soon drifted off again, thinking about a pretty girl with black hair and blue eyes.

Modo took a deep breath and knocked at Flo's door. Kiwi had told him through the vidcom breakfast was ready. Throttle was just getting outta bed and Vinnie was still fast asleep. Modo had decided to ask Flo if she wanted to join him for breakfast and here was, knock, knock knocking on heaven's door. He heard stumbling and the door opened. Modo did a few steps back and there she was. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.  
"Yes, sir?", she asked polite, but her eyes were twinkling.  
"Good morning, Flo ma'am. I eh… I just wanted to ask you if you want to have breakfast with me and my bro's? Oh, and Kiwi ma'am, off course…", he stuttered, blushing.  
"Are you sure I'm welcome? I get the feeling they don't like me…", she asked, looking unsure.  
Modo saw the sadness and insecurity in her eyes and he suddenly felt a pang of anger. They all could use a lesson in how to treat a lady, alright.  
"Don't mind them. They'll come around", he simply answered, offering his arm.  
Flo hesitated, but then hooked her arm in his and she quickly closed the door, after she had collected her stuff. When they wanted to walk outside towards the house, Modo saw Throttle coming out of his room.  
"Breakfast is ready and Vinnie's still in bed", the grey furred giant told his tan furred bro and walked outside.  
Throttle scratched his head and sighed. Great. Just great. What could be a better start of the day than waking up that white furred loudmouth?  
He burst into Vinnie's room and saw his bro lying on his belly, his arms and legs spread out like a starfish.  
"Vincent, wake up", he said, pulling on Vinnie's tail. He just didn't had the patience to wake him gently.  
Vinnie almost jumped out off his fur and quickly grabbed his gun, but when he saw Throttle, he lowered it.  
"Good morning to you too, sunshine", he yawned when he saw the grumpy face of his tan furred bro.  
"Yeah, well, I had better days", Throttle answered. "Come on, breakfast is ready and the big guy is already there with Flo. The sooner she is gone, the better."  
"I don't think Modo agrees with ya…", Vinnie mumbled, while pulling on one of his baggy black biker jeans.  
"No… that's one part of the problem…", Throttle agreed with Vinnie, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Dammit. Eleven years. It took him eleven years to move on and he deserves to be happy. But why her?"  
"Well, you gotta admit bro… She is one hot looking lady", Vinnie smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.  
"Down, loverboy. In case you need a small reminder, you're already been taken."  
Vinnie snickered. A reminder. HA. If only he knew.  
"Care to share what's so funny, Vinman?", Throttle asked, immediately suspicious by the look on Vinnie's face.  
But the white furred mouse quickly put on his bandoliers and grabbed his shoes.  
"What? I have no idea what you're talking about. Let's go eat that breakfast."  
And he walked to the door, trying to put on his shoes at the same time. He stumbled a few times, but managed to stay on his feet.  
Throttle walked behind him, shaking his head. There was definitely something that his bro was hiding, but now wasn't the time.  
First priority, that cold hearted woman that was in Kiwi's kitchen as we speak.

Breakfast was awkward. Nobody really knew what to say. Throttle was eating his pancakes, studying everything what was happening. Two things caught his attention.  
One; Vinnie and Kiwi were looking and smiling at each other in a way that made very clear they knew something what nobody else did.  
Two; He still didn't trust Flo. She was acting quite normal actually, but still… The look in her eyes, the small changes in her behaviour when she was talking to one of them instead of Modo… Hmmm.  
She suddenly jumped at her feet.  
"I really need to go."  
Modo also jumped up.  
"Can I offer you a ride, ma'am?"  
"No, thanks, big guy. My car isn't parked that far away from here."  
Modo nodded, somehow disappointed. Flo looked at Kiwi.  
"Thank you for your hospitality."  
She turned to Modo and stood on her toes. She pressed a soft kiss on his cheek.  
"Thank you. Maybe we'll meet again…"  
Modo blushed and was totally loss at words.  
Flo nodded at Throttle and Vinnie and grabbed her bag. With one final look at Modo, she walked outside.  
"Stay safe, Flo ma'am", Modo called after her. She only raised her thumb without looking back and soon, she was gone.  
"Whoohie…", Modo sighed and sat down again, his legs too weak to hold his weight. Throttle and Vinnie shared a quick look.  
"Let's go after her", Throttle said.  
"Be careful, you guys…", Kiwi whispered. Vinnie planted a kiss on her forehead.  
"We always are, sweetheart. Well, sorta... Thanks for breakfast."  
Kiwi looked up at him and smiled. She rubbed his cheek.  
"Any time, handsome. Now, go, before you lose her."  
"The only reason I'm with ya is because I wanna make sure she's safe", Modo repeated at Throttle.  
The tan furred mouse nodded.  
"I know, big fella. Now, let's ride!"

When they found her, she was opening a black car that was parked closeby the spot they had met her yesterday.  
"Make sure to keep a safe distance, bro's. I don't want her to find out we're following her", Throttle whispered, while they were standing in a dark alley closeby.  
"No problem with that ice queen attitude of hers. I don't even wanna get…", Vinnie started, but when he saw Modo's eye starting to glow red, he quickly shut his mouth.  
"That's just not how you talk about a lady, little bro", Modo growled, crossing his arms before his chest. He still wasn't very happy with this. But he didn't have much of a choice, now did he?  
"She ain't no lady", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but luckily, the big guy didn't hear it.  
They watched how Flo lay some stuff in the car. It looked like paperwork. She opened the trunk and quickly looked around her before she grabbed a small bazooka, three guns and a big knife. She put it all in one bag and closed the trunk with a bang.  
"Wow. That lady is armed to the teeth", Throttle said, his tail twitching.  
"Hey. She's just doing her job!", Modo snapped at him.  
"Yeah? Is destroying half the city in that job description of hers? Because if she's gonna use that bazooka, there will be more people getting hurt next to Limburger", Vinnie snorted. Because of his own… passion for weapons, he knew that that bazooka maybe looked small, but it sure wasn't a toy.  
"I'm sure she knows how to handle it", Modo answered.  
Throttle sighed. This whole situation was getting more complicated by the minute...

The mice watched from a rooftop closeby LP how Flo parked her car and saw her disappearing into the building. Throttle used his helmet to zoom in at Limburger's office and saw the big fish sitting behind his desk.  
"Shoot a mic, Vincent", he ordered, but Modo grabbed Vinnie's hand before he could push the button.  
"Modo, what…", but Modo stopped him.  
"We can't just violate her privacy like that, bro's. That just ain't right."  
Throttle was starting to get a little bit annoyed. Normally, it was Vinnie who was getting on his nerves, but this time, and for the first time, it was Modo.  
"Modo, come on. If she really is who she says she is, she's got nothing to hide, right?"  
Modo hesitated and Throttle quickly nodded at Vinnie. The white furred mouse used his tail to push the button and the mic flew out.  
Modo's eye started to glow red again and he revved his bike.  
"Fine. But I won't have anything to do with this. This whole thing feels just wrong. Throttle, I'd expected better from you. But you're starting to get just as paranoid as your girlfriend back on Mars!" and he turned his bike and drove away.  
Vinnie watched him go and looked at Throttle.  
"Let him go. We'll fix this when we know more. Turn up the volume, Vin."  
Vinnie did what he said.

" _Aaahh, miss Barker. How very nice of you to come all the way to Chicago"_ , they heard Limburger saying.  
" _No problem, mister Limburger. Like I said in our previous conversation over the phone, you're the highest bidder after all."_

Vinnie and Throttle exchanged looks. Highest bidder?

" _Yes, yes! I must say, I was so glad you contacted me about, if I may speak freely, my rodent problem…"  
_ " _I just need the money. Besides, I also have my own… personal reasons for this. Anyway, let's talk business. What are the terms?"  
_ " _My dear miss Barker. The only thing I expect from you, is that…"_

A laser came outta nowhere and destroyed the mic. Throttle and Vinnie looked down and saw Modo standing, lowering his arm cannon.  
"You know, this is starting to get a little bit annoying", Vinnie sighed, looking at Throttle, who agreed.  
"Yeah… But I think we heard enough to know that she lied to us…"  
"Like Modo's gonna believe us…"  
"Let's grab her if she comes outta that building. It's time that lady is gonna tell us the truth."

After waiting for a while, they saw her walking out of the building. Modo was nowhere to be seen.  
"Airborne ranger six?", Vinnie smiled at Throttle, who smiled back.  
"You got it!"  
They revved their bikes and fired their jets. The bikes flew over the edge and when they were jumping down, Throttle shot a rope that whirled around Flo and pulled her in the air. She gave a scream in surprise and her bag fell on the floor. The mice landed and Flo fell down, right in Throttle's arms. He quickly set her on her feet and Vinnie whirled a rope around her, so she couldn't move.  
"Tadaaaa! One trapped ice queen…", Vinnie smiled.  
"Haha, kudos, Vincent!"  
"You expected less?", his white furred bro answered with a arrogant look on his face.  
Flo was struggling to get loose.  
"What are you doing, for fuck sake?", she snapped at them, her eyes fuming.  
"Now you listen up, lady. We know you lied to us about Limburger", Throttle said.  
"Yeah, so now it's time you're gonna tell us why you're really here", Vinnie added.  
Flo suddenly tried to kick Vinnie, but he quickly dodged it.  
"Let me loose!"  
But before someone could say something, they heard Modo's bike stopping with shrieking brakes.  
"You heard the lady, bro's… let her go… now!" and he jumped off his bike, his eye glowing red.  
"No, big fella, you don't know what you're saying…", Throttle started, his hands raised in the air.  
Flo saw Modo and suddenly, she started to cough.  
"Ah… I can hardly breathe… I feel like I'm gonna faint…", she managed to squeeze out between coughing, wobbling on her legs.  
"I can't believe my ears. To think my two bro's would treat a lady this way!", Modo growled, pointing at Throttle.  
"She's dangerous!", Vinnie called out.  
"Let her go. NOW!"  
Flo stumbled a few passes and fell backwards.  
Vinnie quickly grabbed her. It was more of a reflex, because honestly, he rather had let her fall on the floor. Hard.  
"Ohhh…", she moaned.  
"She stays tied till we know why she here, big fella. And that's final!", Throttle warned between clenched teeth, standing close in front of Modo.  
Modo's tail lashed through the air.  
"Well, I'm sorry to hear you say that, Throttle", and he raised his armcannon. "'Cause it just isn't what gentleman do!" and he shot the ropes.  
Flo quickly jumped back on her feet and ran to her car, grabbing her bag in the process.  
Throttle and Vinnie were too stunned to stop her and they were staring at Modo.  
"Modo… listen to me, she is bad news, she…" but Throttle suddenly trailed off. He stared at the floor, but then, his head jerked up.  
"That's it! I just knew I heard the name Barker before. Well, maybe I didn't hear it, but I read about it. Barker was the guy who professor Milestone was friends with while he was on Earth to observe the humans!"  
"Professor Milestone?", Vinnie asked confused.  
"Why am I not surprised you never paid attention at history class?", Throttle sighed, shaking his head.  
Modo was about to ask why Throttle all of a sudden was talking about the ancient history of Mars, when the tan furred mouse froze.  
"Oh boy… She's a Barker! That means we got a whole lotta trouble", and he whirled around, only to see that the car, along with Flo, was gone.  
He jumped back on his bike, his bro's still loss at what their leader was meaning with all this.  
"Bro's, saddle up, Kiwi is in great danger!"

* * *

Oh Modo's momma... what is Flo up to? And how is poor Modo gonna react if they find out?  
Stay tuned and puhlease, review! :)


	26. Chapter 25

Thanks for the reviews! :D

Ladydaisys; Professor Milestone was the mouse who brought English to Mars. I told about him in chapter fifteen. I copied the story Throttle told below, to help you fresh up your memorie. Also for everyone else who can't remember it. :)

 _"A very long time ago, some professor on Mars found out about Earth. His name was Professor Milestone. Back then, the mice population were way ahead in technologie than Earth, we still are, actually… But this professor, he traveled to Earth to studie you humans. Some said he was obsessed. Maybe he was. Anyway, he found out that people on Earth spoke many languages, but English was the most common. In his eagerness to learn everything about you, he learned the language from a friend who he had made on Earth. Someone who he could trust. Someone who wanted to learn just as much about Martian Cave Mice as the professor wanted to learn about the humans. Anyway, long story short; English slowly became the new spoken language on Mars."_

Very well, let's continue the story! Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty five**

Kiwi was busy cleaning her house. She needed to do something to fight the stress. There was something wrong, but she couldn't lay her finger on it. But she just had a very bad feeling about all this. She was scrubbing her bathtub like her life depended on it, deep in thoughts. But suddenly, she heard the sound of breaking glass. She jerked upright and pricked her ears. Footsteps on the stairs. And it wasn't one of the mice, she could tell.  
Shit.  
She quickly jumped at her feet. Her gun was in lying on the nightstand in her bedroom and that was across the hall. She had to pass the stairs to get there and she could hear there wasn't much time left. Fuck. And her phone was lying downstairs.  
Dammit. Way to go, Kiwi. Honestly…  
She took a deep breath and stormed out of the bathroom, focussed on her goal, namely her bedroom. By the looks of things, she was gonna make it. Her hand reached out to open the door, but suddenly something grabbed her by the hair and her head jerked back. She lost her balance and landed hard on the floor, moaning in pain. When she looked up, she saw Flo bending over her, a ice cold look on her face.  
"Well, hello again", the blond headed woman snorted.  
Kiwi blinked a few times and pushed herself off the floor and tried to make a run for it. But Flo grabbed her again. Kiwi clenched her fist and whirled around, trying to hit the woman. But Flo was prepared for that and easily dodged it.  
"Oh come on, is that the best you can do?", she laughed.  
Kiwi attacked her again, but again, Flo dodged it.  
"I would've thought these mice had trained you better", and she punched Kiwi in the face.  
A sharp pain in her nose made Kiwi stumble back. She raised her hand and carefully touched her face. When she looked at her fingers, she saw blood. She clenched her teeth and tried to run past Flo to her bedroom, but Flo tackled her. Her head slammed against the floor, but Kiwi wasn't gonna give up that easily. She crawled further, but Flo grabbed her leg and pulled her back. Dammit, this woman was way too strong.  
"Let me go! What the hell is wrong with you, jesus!", Kiwi screamed in anger, kicking wildy with her leg. She rolled on her back and looked at the blond headed woman, who was still having that stupid smile on her face.  
"Okay, playtime is over", Flo smiled and she grabbed a black device outta her pocket.  
When Kiwi recognized it, she started to kick even harder, but Flo was too strong. And before Kiwi could stop her, she pushed the button and two wires with small hooks flew out of the device and when they made contact with Kiwi's body, a immense pain jolted through her whole body. She tried to scream, but she couldn't open her mouth because of the spasms that were the result of the electricity. The pain was immense and soon after, her body shut down and the whole world became black.

The mice raced through the streets. Vinnie pushed his bike to the limits, pushing away all the images that were popping up in his head after Throttle had said those words out loud.  
 _Kiwi is in great danger._  
What were they gonna find when they got home? Jesus, what if Kiwi was dead? His heart skipped a beat and he gritted his teeth, gaining even more speed. His bro's were close behind him. When they flew around the corner, Vinnie felt the back of his bike slipping away, but he fighted to keep her upright.  
"Vincent, easy…", he heard Throttle warning him in the radio, but Vinnie ignored him.  
Finally, he saw the fence that surrounded Kiwi's house and he pulled back his handlebars. He used his weight to get his front tire of the ground and fired his jets. He jumped over the fence but when he landed, way too wild, his bike wobbled and Vinnie lost control. His bike slipped and landed on her side. Vinnie fell off, but he quickly turned it into a controlled fall. He made a few head rollers and landed back on his feet. Without stopping, he stumbled to the house.  
"Dammit, Vincent, watch yourself! You can't help Kiwi if you're wounded!", Throttle yelled into the radio, but again, Vinnie ignored him.  
But when he reached the front door and saw the broken glass, he stopped death in his tracks. Modo and Throttle joined him and also stopped when they saw it.  
"No, Kiwi…", Vinnie breathed and he burst inside, grabbing his gun in the proces.  
"Vincent, check upstairs. Modo, kitchen and living room, I'll go check the garage", Throttle ordered and they split up.  
Vinnie slowly made his way up, his gun in both hands aimed in front of him. His heart was pounding in his chest.  
"All clear down here", he heard Modo's heavy voice rumbling.  
"Garage is clear too", Throttle confirmed.  
Vinnie took the last steps and quickly checked the rooms, one by one. But when he walked to Kiwi's bedroom, his stomach turned. Blood. There was blood on the floor. He burst into Kiwi's room, but it was empty.  
"All clear. Bro's, get up here, now!", Vinnie yelled and he kneeled down next to the blood. He touched it and rubbed his fingers. It was still fresh.  
Modo and Throttle quickly joined him.  
"Is that…", Modo started, but Vinnie suddenly jumped at his feet, grabbed Modo and pushed him against the wall.  
"You! This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you, we still had her! You let her go… If Kiwi's dead, her blood is on your hands, you hear me?", he yelled, his voice shaky and raw because of his despair.  
Modo stared at him, his eye wide open, shock written on his face.  
Throttle quickly grabbed Vinnie and pulled him away from Modo.  
"Vincent, stand down. Right now, we don't know anything. Kiwi is alive until proven otherwise, you got that?"  
Vinnie took a few deep breaths to control himself.  
Throttle was looking at the blood and suddenly something caught his eye. It looked like… confetti, actually. Hmmm. He immediately knew what it was.  
"Flo used a taser to take Kiwi down. That means Flo took her alive", he said, looking at Vinnie. The white furred mouse nodded.  
"Vinnie, I'm… I'm sorry, I was wrong, I…", Modo stuttered, still in shock about what Flo had done.  
But Vinnie shook his head.  
"I don't wanna hear it. Not now. We need to find Kiwi", Vinnie said shortly and focussed his attention back on his tan furred bro. But before he could ask the question that burned on his tongue, the phone downstairs rang.

The mice stared at each other for a moment, but then ran down.  
Vinnie wanted to pick up, but Throttle pushed him away and grabbed the phone before his bro could  
"Hallo?"  
"Ah, Throttle, right?", Flo's voice.  
"Where is she, Flo?", Throttle asked, his voice gave away his anger. But Flo wasn't impressed.  
"She's safe. For now."  
"Let her go. She's got nothing to do with this."  
"I'm afraid I can't do that. And she belongs to you, right? So she has everything to do with this."  
"What do you want?"  
"That's simple. You. And your friends. If you surrender, she'll live."  
"How do we know she's still alive?"  
"You don't. I think you have no other choice than to take my word for it…"  
Throttle gritted his teeth. He looked at Vinnie, who was close to losing it. Then, his gaze fell on Modo. The poor guy was still in shock. He couldn't blame him.  
"Fine. Like we have a choice", he growled in the phone. There was no choice. They couldn't take the risk. Kiwi was innocent.  
"Very wise decision. Go to Lake Michigan. No bikes. No weapons."  
"Now just wait a minute…", Throttle started, but Flo just laughed.  
"Hurry, mouse boy. Time is ticking…" and she broke the connection.  
"Flo? Flo? Dammit", Throttle cursed and looked at his bro's.  
"No bikes? No weapons?", Vinnie asked, his voice low and shaky. He was obviously trying to hold himself together.  
"We don't have a choice, bro. If we don't do as she say, Kiwi is gonna pay the price", Throttle sighed. This was one big mess alright.  
Modo was still very quiet. Poor guy.  
Throttle grabbed his gun and threw it on the table, just like his knuck knocks. He grabbed a knife outta his booth and lay it next to his gun. He looked at Vinnie and the white furred mouse sighed, but did what him was told. He took off his bandoliers and lay it on the table, along with his gun and spare gun. He somehow felt naked without his weapons and he quickly ran to the guesthouse to grab a shirt. When he came back, his bro's were ready to go.  
"We need to go. We can use Kiwi's car to get there", Throttle suggested and he marched outside. Modo and Vinnie shared a quick look, but followed their leader and best friend. Vinnie quickly snatched the keys from the table and when they were standing by the car, Throttle turned around.  
"Give me the keys, Vincent", and he held up his hand. Vinnie sighed and gave them to Throttle.  
When they drove away with shrieking tires, Vinnie looked at Throttle.  
"Who is she, Throttle? What do you know that we don't?"  
"She's a Barker. Professor Milestone made a friend on Earth, who teached him English and everything he wanted to know about Earth. In return, he told Barker everything about Mars and the Martian Cave Mice. They were friends. They trusted each other. But someone found out about Milestone and reported it. When the authorities came by the house, Milestone fled and Barker was thrown into prison. Word is he's tortured to death, because even if Milestone had abandoned him, he remained loyal to him. He never said a word about Mars or us."  
Vinnie looked confused.  
"So? This happened ages ago. What has this to do with Flo?"  
"Not sure. I guess she found out. And I can imagine the hatred against Martian Mice runs deep into the family."  
Vinnie stared outta the window. He just couldn't believe his oversized ears. The fact that Kiwi maybe would die because of something that happened years ago… He just couldn't wrap his mind around it.  
Modo was also staring outside. He'd never felt so betrayed. She used him. She used him to work out her plan to get him and his bro's and now, she dragged Kiwi into it. Anger ran through his veins and he felt so stupid he'd fell for her act. But no more. If Kiwi was gonna die, Vinnie was right. Her blood would be on his hands. And he wasn't planning on letting that happen. He would never forgive himself. He was gonna set this straight, no matter what.

Kiwi slowly woke up, feeling very confused. Her whole body hurted and her face felt swollen. She opened her eyes and tried to move, but she noticed she hardly couldn't. She suddenly heard the sound of water. What the… She tried to sit upright, but there was no room. Her eyes flew in every direction and her heart skipped a beat. She was lying in some sort of box, made of glass. And the box was lying on the bottom of Lake Michigan. Panic hit her like she got slapped in the face and she screamed.  
"HELP! HELP ME!" and she hit with her fists against the glass.  
But it was no use. She noticed she was quickly out of breath.  
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, she was running out of oxygen.  
She suddenly saw a tank standing next to the box, a tube attached to the box. Her gaze landed on the meter on top of it and she gasped in fear. She really was running out of oxygen. Because if she needed to believe the meter, she only had fifteen minutes left before the tank would be empty…

Throttle hit the brakes and before the car was standing completely still, Vinnie already jumped out. He quickly checked the surrounding, but next to the fact it was completely deserted, nothing seemed to be wrong. He gritted his teeth. This girl was playing with them, he knew it. And he had no other choice than to play along. To keep Kiwi safe. His bro's joined him and also looked around.  
"Hmmm… I have a bad feeling about this…", Throttle said softly.  
Vinnie walked to the water, looking for… yeah, for what actually? Dammit. He turned around to face his bro's.  
"She ain't here, bro's. That girl is playing with us", he growled.  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Time is ticking. That's what she said. But why…"  
His gaze landed on the water. No. She wouldn't, right?  
Vinnie saw the look on his face and came into action almost the same time.  
"Vincent, wait, we don't know…", Throttle started, but Vinnie didn't even hear it.  
He took a deep breath and dove into the water. He opened his eyes and looked around him. But he saw nothing. Panic was slowly taken over his body.  
Dammit, Kiwi , where are you?  
He swam further, still looking around him. But then, something caught his attention and he swam down. His heart stopped when he realized where he was looking at. A big box, the size of a coffin, was lying on the bottom of the lake. And trapped inside of it, his girl. He swam over to her and lay his hands on the glass. Kiwi suddenly saw him and relief was visible in her eyes. But soon, panic took over again and she pointed at her right. Vinnie looked at where she was pointing at and saw the oxygen tank. The meter told him there were only three minutes left.  
Shit.  
He clenched his fist and punched on the glass, but the only result was a heavy pain in his hand.  
Fuck.  
How was he gonna get her outta here? Kiwi looked up at him, despair written on her face. He tried to break the glass again, but it was no use. It was no goddamn use. It was too thick and without his gun or flairs, he was never gonna get her out. He started to feel light in his head and his lungs were almost exploding. He needed to go back to the surface to breath, but the look on Kiwi's face made it almost impossible to leave her, even if it was for only for a short moment of time. He signed at her he needed air and pointed up. She shook her head in panic, tears were streaming out of her eyes. Her mouth opened and Vinnie could see her lips, her beautiful soft lips, forming the words.

 _Don't leave me…_

He gave her his most charming smile in a attempt to take away her panic and winked at her.

 _I'll be back, sweetheart. No worries. Hero stuff, remember?_

She lay her hands against the glass and he did the same. And after giving her one reassuring smile, he quickly swam back up.

Throttle and Modo were standing on the beach, staring at the water to see if there was any sign of Vinnie, but nothing happened.  
"He's too long down, Throttle, something is wrong", Modo said worried, his eye glowing red. "I'm gonna go after him", but Throttle stopped him.  
"It's too dangerous, we don't know her plan. We need to stay here in case she shows up. What will happen if we all underwater and come up for air and she is standing here with a bazooka?"  
Modo was about to answer, when Vinnie came up, gulping air into his lungs.  
"Vinnie!", Modo called out.  
The white furred mouse looked at him, breathing heavily.  
"Kiwi is down there in a box, she's almost outta air, but I can't break the glass without my flairs…", he breathed, his voice hoarse of panic.  
Modo suddenly looked at his arm. No weapons. But he couldn't just ripp his arm off, now could he? So, off course, he still had his armcannon. And he made a decision.  
"Vin, stay here with Throttle, I'll go get her", he said determined.  
Vinnie wanted to protest but Modo was already in the water.  
"No time to discuss who's gonna be the hero, bro. Besides, this is all my fault. Stay here!" and he dove down.  
Vinnie quickly swam to the beach and stumbled out of the water. Throttle helped him by grabbing his arm. Vinnie clung to Throttle.  
"What if he's too late?", he gasped, still outta breath.  
Throttle looked him the eye.  
"He'll make it, Vincent, I just know he will."

Modo spotted the box Vinnie had mentioned and quickly swam to it. But when he looked through the glass, he saw that Kiwi already had lost consciousness. Well, he hoped she was only unconsciousness...  
Oh momma.  
He raised his arm cannon and shot the glass. He just hoped she wasn't gonna get hurt too bad because of the broken glass, but he didn't had a choice right now. She needed to get up. The glass shattered and water flushed inside. Modo quickly grabbed Kiwi and swum up.  
When he reached the surface, he saw a white blur running into the water and grabbing Kiwi. Vinnie quickly carried her to the beach and gently lay her down.  
"Sweetheart? Sweetheart, wake up", he said softly, his hands flying over her body. She had small wounds off the broken glass, but nothing major. But she wasn't breathing.  
Vinnie squeezed her nose and pressed his lips on hers. He blew air into her lungs.  
"Come on, sweetheart, come on…"  
His bro's were kneeling on the other side of Kiwi, looking desperate at the human girl.  
Vinnie repeated the kiss of life, two times, three times, four times… But still nothing happened.  
But Vinnie wasn't gonna give up.  
"Kiwi, please…", he moaned and again, blew air in her lungs.  
Suddenly, Kiwi started to cough and water sprayed out of her mouth. Vinnie let out his breath in relief.  
"That's it, sweetheart, that's it", and he quickly pulled her in his arms.  
Kiwi was gasping for air, grabbing his wet fur and tears streamed out of her eyes. Vinnie held her tightly and looked at Modo.  
"Thanks, bro. Really…"  
But before Modo could react…

 ***CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP***

They looked up and saw Flo standing close to them, clapping her hands.  
"Way to go, mousies. You saved the girl. Great job. Really, I'm impressed."  
Modo and Throttle jumped at their feet, Vinnie was still holding Kiwi.  
"Can you stand?", he asked softly, his eyes still fixed on Flo.  
"Yeah, I guess…", she whispered back.  
Vinnie helped her up and supported her by holding her by the waist.  
Kiwi looked at Flo, who was really amused, she could tell. Jesus, what the fuck was wrong with this woman?  
"Why are you doing this? What kind of game are you playing?", Modo asked, still somehow doubting her intentions. It couldn't be all just a big lie, right? But when he saw the ice cold look in her eyes, he already got his answer.  
"It's no game, it just was some sort of experiment. And the outcome wasn't what I expected at all…", Flo smiled, but it was no nice smile.  
"A experiment?", Throttle asked annoyed. "Listen lady, stop talking in riddles and spill it. What is that you want?"  
"I wanted to know if my grandgrandgrand etcetera grandfather Ben was right. I read his journals, you know. And he was talking about this professor Milestone like he was some sort of god. But if he was, then why would he abandon him from the moment they got in trouble? He just left him to die. So, I was just… curious, I guess."  
Vinnie couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kiwi felt him tense and she quickly grabbed his arm before he was gonna do something stupid.  
"Really? You gotta be kidding me! You almost killed my girl because of something that happened ages ago? Jesus, sweetheart, get it over it and move on!", he spit out in anger.  
"Well, I just wanted to know if all Martian Mice were like that. But apparently, I was wrong. Ah well, it was just for fun, actually. Now, it's time to get back to business", and she grabbed her gun.  
"So, it was all a big lie? The waving eyelashes, the innocent touches, playing the damsel in distress? Only to do such a lousy experiment?", Modo asked. He felt stupid alright. She'd wrapped him around her little finger and he immediately had fall for it.  
"Not everything was a lie, big guy. I really am a bounty hunter. But I came to Chicago for you, not Limburger. Well, I did need him. He was prepared to pay a big price to get rid of you."  
"And you found out about us, how?", Throttle asked, getting more annoyed by the second.  
"It all started when I found the journals on the attic of my fathers house. And I was immediately intrigued. My father always told me stories about Martian Mice, just like his father told him, who had learned it from his father etcetera. I never believed it, actually. I just listened to the stories because my father apparently had the strong urge to tell them and I didn't want to hurt him. Anyway, when he died and I was emptying his house, I found the journals. I read them all, and I was surprised. You know, the stories my father told me, were always about betrayal, darkness and death. But the journals told otherwise. How noble this professor Milestone was. Friendly. Loyal. Ben was crazy about him.  
Anyway, a few months later I read this article in the newspaper about a guy who got arrested for trashing a neighbourhood. And that this guy told the police it was done by a mouse on a motorcycle. First, I just laughed about it. People are getting more and more creative to stay outta jail. But I suddenly rememberd another article, about three mysterious bikes who had saved Chicago from a lavastream that started in some shady amusement park. All I had to do was add one plus one. I immediately left for Chicago. It wasn't that hard to find you and after observing you for a while, I knew enough. I went back home and started to prepare. I reached out to Limburger, because I'd seen how much he hated you guys. I knew he was rich. So, that's the story."

Modo's ears drooped.  
"You used me… I stood up for you, even went against my own bro's for you and you just used me…"  
Flo looked at him and for the first time, her cold face softened.  
"You left me no choice. When that crazy adrenaline junkie...", and she pointed at Vinnie, who looked offended. "...almost ran over me, I needed to improvise. I never wanted to meet you before I'd go to Limburger, but it just happened. And your chivalry was exactly what I needed. Sorry, big guy. It's just work, nothing personal", and she winked at him.  
Modo clenched his teeth. This lady had played with his head. She had taken advantage of his personality. And because of that, Kiwi'd almost died. But he knew now. This lady ain't no lady. He raised his armcannon. Flo quickly raised her gun.  
"Hey! No weapons! That was the deal!", she warned.  
"Yeah well… good thing we don't make deals with scum like you. Ma'am", Modo snorted the last word sarcastic. "I'll give you the choice to just walk away and never look back. If you don't, well… things could get ugly."  
Flo clenched her teeth. She aimed the gun at Throttle, who was standing close to Modo, but the gray furred giant quickly pushed his friend behind him.  
"If you want them, you'll have to go through me first. Now, walk away and nobody will get hurt."  
Flo studied his face. Was he really gonna sacrifice his own life to save his friends? Hmmm…  
"You're brave", she said slowly. "But stupid!" and she pulled the trigger.  
"NO, MODO!" Kiwi screamed when the big guy fell on his knees. But Modo raised his arm again.  
"Are you really gonna shoot a lady, big guy?", Flo teased him, but she was underestimating the gray furred mouse.  
"You, Flo, ain't no lady. And don't worry, it's just work, nothing personal."  
Flo's face darkened but before she could react, Modo fired. He hit the hand that was holding in the gun and blood splattered around. Flo screamed in pain and the gun flew away. Vinnie came into action and jumped in the air, landed on his hands, pushed himself up again and after a somersault, he landed on his feet next to the gun. He snatched it with his tail before Flo could grab it with her other hand. He aimed the gun at her, and Kiwi saw his finger lying on the trigger. Suddenly, his low voice echoed through her head.

 _Make sure you're finger is only on the trigger when you'e ready to shoot..._

"Vinnie, NO!", she yelled, but Throttle also had seen what Kiwi had seen and he quickly took the gun out of Vinnie's hand.  
"We're not like her, Vincent."  
Vinnie stared at Flo, who was lying on the floor, holding her wounded hand, crying in pain.  
"Ah man, don't you just hate to be the good guys sometimes?", he moaned in frustration.  
Kiwi suddenly remembered the gunshot and looked at Modo. He was still on his knees, his hand on his arm. Blood streamed between his fingers and dripped on the sand, colouring it red.  
"Shit, Modo!", and she ran over to him. She quickly looked at his arm. It looked like the bullet was still in there and he was losing a lot of blood.  
"Throttle, he needs help. NOW!"  
The tan furred mouse whirled around and nodded.  
"Go to the car, we'll be right there. Call Ruby that we need her."  
Modo slowly climbed on his feet and with Kiwi, he stumbled to the car.  
"What are we gonna do with her?", Vinnie asked, looking at Throttle.  
"Well…", and he bend over and took Flo's phone out of her pocket. "My guess is that the police is gonna be very interested about what happened here and why this lady is carrying so many weapons around in her car."  
Flo looked up at him, and for the first time, her face looked desperate.  
"No please, don't do this, they're gonna lock me up… please…"  
But Throttle already dialed 911.  
"We need medical help with police support at the beach of Lake Michigan. Hurry!" and he broke the connection. He smiled at Flo while breaking her phone in two.  
"No worries, lady. Nothing personal."  
Vinnie quickly took off his shirt and used it to tie her legs and hands together. When he touched her wounded hand, she screamed in pain. But Vinnie couldn't care less.  
"Just be glad I didn't blew your brains out. But let me tell you this sweetheart, if I ever see you near Kiwi again, no one is gonna be able to stop me then, not even one of my bro's. For me, it's personal. You made it personal… You got that?", he whispered in her ear.  
Flo shivered when she heard the tone in his voice and gave a small nod. Message received. Loud and clear. When Vinnie was done, he and Throttle wanted to walk away. But Flo wasn't ready to be left behind.  
"I'm gonna tell the police all about you, you meddling mice!", she threatened, but it sounded weak, even in her own ears.  
"Yeah, well… You said it yourself; mice on motorcycles who are trying to save the world… They never gonna believe you. Have fun in jail, doll", Vinnie snorted and he and Throttle turned around and walked away.

When they got home, Throttle and Vinnie helped Modo inside. He was still bleeding and somehow looked pale under his gray fur. They gently lay him down on the couch. He moaned in pain, his one eye half closed.  
"What is taken Ruby so long, he…", Throttle started, but then…  
"Ruby can't fly nor she can drive full speed through Chicago on a bike."  
Ruby walked in with her bag and Throttle blushed.  
"Sorry, I'm just worried…", but she held up her hand.  
"I know. Now, what happened this time? Do I need my sedatives again, or a hammer to knock him down?", she asked, but she soon saw the white one standing next to the gray one, who was lying on the couch.  
"Hey!", Vinnie said offended, crossing his arms before his chest.  
"Good to see you standing on your feet, alive and kicking this time", Ruby winked at him and she kneeled down next to Modo. The gray furred giant was still holding his arm, his breathing shallow. Ruby tried to unfold his fingers so she could examine the wound, but that didn't work.  
"Come on, big guy, if you want my help, I need yours."  
Throttle quickly kneeled down next to her and lay a hand on Modo's shoulder.  
"It's okay now, big fella. Ruby's here, she's gonna help ya…"  
Modo looked at him, obviously dazed. He nodded and let go off his arm. Blood dripped on the floor and Ruby quickly put a tourniquet around his arm. The bleeding slowly stopped and she cleaned the wound.  
"The bullet is still inside and hit a artery. I need to get it out and stop the bleeding,", she said, grabbing some medicine out of her bag.  
She looked at Modo.  
"In other words, looks like I'm still gonna need those sedatives today. You need surgery."  
Vinnie, who already had taken some distance from the whole thing, froze when he heard the word surgery.  
Kiwi saw it happen and quickly walked over to him.  
"Why don't you go work on your bike?", she said friendly, pushing him softly towards the garage.  
But somehow, he hesitated. It was his bro, after all. It felt wrong to leave him.  
"But…", he started, but his heart was already pounding in his chest and he felt these weird tingles in his hands and feet, a sign a panic attack was lying around the corner, ready to consume him.  
Kiwi felt how tensed he was and knew he had to go.  
"Vinnie, it's okay. Modo will understand. Now, go…"  
The white furred mouse took a deep breath and nodded. He gave Kiwi a quick kiss and walked away.  
Kiwi looked at him till he was gone and turned around. Throttle gave her a small nodd. She nodded back and saw Modo was already out cold.  
Ruby was preparing the surgery and looked at Kiwi.  
"You okay, girl?", she asked, worry in her voice. Kiwi was standing on the edge of breaking into tears, but she took a deep breath and nodded. Now was the not the time for a mental break down.  
"Can I do anything to help?", she asked and Ruby nodded.  
"Yeah, clean the wound one more time, please."  
Kiwi did what she asked. Throttle was rubbing his chin.  
"I just don't get why she didn't kill him. She knew how to handle a weapon, she had a clear shot and yet, she hit him in the arm…"  
Kiwi froze for a second, but soon continued her work.  
"You're right, I never thought about it. Maybe it had to do something with the terms she agreed with Limburger. Maybe he needed you alive?", but Throttle shook his head.  
"No, he learned the hard way we ain't model prisoners…"  
Kiwi looked at Modo, who was snoring loud and she smiled.  
"Maybe she did care about him…Deep down", she whispered.  
Throttle slowly nodded.  
"Yeah… Maybe you're right…"

Ruby was done with preparing and grabbed a big pair of tongs, which was packed into a sterilised wrapping. She opened it and Kiwi made room for her, since the wound was clean.  
"Let's get that bullet out", the red headed woman said and she started her work.  
After searching for a while, she finally found the bullet and pulled it out. Kiwi held up a silver plate and with loud ringing, the bullet fell on the plate.  
"Good. Now, I'm gonna close the artery and after that, it's only a lot of stitching", Ruby said, already busy with finding the ends of the broken artery with tweezers.  
Kiwi felt a little sick when she saw how Ruby was poking in the flesh wound and she looked the other way. She was so tired. And still shocked about everything that happened today. Damn, she let this woman into her house. She gave her a place to stay, she gave her food… And still, she almost killed her. This was the last time they were gonna let a stranger into this house. That's for sure.  
When Ruby was halfway stitching the wound, Kiwi noticed it was way too silence all of a sudden. She couldn't lay a finger on it, but when she looked at Modo's face, her heart stopped.  
"Shit, Ruby, something's wrong!", she called out, pointing at Modo's face. She could see the skin through his fur and it was white as a piece of paper. She also immediately understand why it was so silence. Modo had stopped snoring.  
Ruby quickly checked Modo's vitals.  
"He's getting weaker, he lost too much blood. More than I thought in the first place."  
She looked up at Throttle. No panic, but Throttle could see in her eyes action was required.  
"He needs a blood transfusion. Please, tell me you're blood qualifies... "  
Throttle breathed in sharply.  
Shit.  
Back on Mars, at the beginning of their career as a Freedom Fighter, they all had got a extensive medical examination. Not only to test if they were physically okay to fight a war, but also to gather valuable information, such as blood type… Transfusions were almost as common as drinking root beer when you were living in a war.  
Fuck.  
That was before Vinnie was messed up.  
They even made jokes about it, back then. That Modo needed to be nice to Vinnie, since he was the only one with the same rare blood type, and vica versa.  
Shit.  
He slowly shook his head and looked at Kiwi.  
"No, but Vinnie's blood does..."  
Kiwi gasped.  
Ruby studied them both and sighed.  
"Right. The white one with PTSS is the only one who can save him… Great. Just great…"  
Kiwi and Throttle were still staring at each other. Shit. How were they gonna do this?

* * *

Oh my dear holy mothers of Mars!  
No doubt Vinnie is willing to do everything to save his bro's life, but this is something he doesn't control. A trauma. Panic. A living hell.  
How in the world are they gonna pull this off?

Stay tuned and puhlease review! :)


	27. Chapter 26

Yo yo yo, you guys! Thanks for the reviews! Sure was a tense chapter.  
And no worries, Modo will get his shot at love, eventually... :)

Enjoy the next chapter! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty six**

Ruby was looking from Kiwi to Throttle and back at Kiwi.  
"Ambush him and sedate him, or something like that. It's the only way. And your friend doesn't have a lot of time left. So, come up with something, now!", she ordered.  
Kiwi looked at her, her eyes fuming.  
"Ruby, you're my friend and I love you, but honestly, you can be so insensible sometimes! I'm gonna go talk to him, I'm not just gonna drug him without him knowing. He trusts me. I'm not gonna break that trust. Never again."  
For the first time Throttle had met her, Ruby had nothing to say. She probably wasn't used that Kiwi contradicted her.  
Throttle nodded at Kiwi.  
"Go talk to him, I'll stay here. But please..."  
"Be quick. Yeah yeah, I know." Kiwi jumped at her feet and when she walked into the garage, she found Vinnie working on his bike, music loud. She quickly pushed the button on his bike and the music stopped.  
"HEY! Oh, sweetheart, it's you… How's Modo?", Vinnie asked, worry in his eyes.  
"Vinnie, we need to talk."  
Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
"Gosh, I hate these four words...", but Kiwi ignored him.  
"Vin, I don't know how to tell you this, but Modo is in bad shape. And the only thing that can save him, is a blood transfusion…", she trailed off when she saw the look on his face. He immediately knew what she wanted from him. And oh boy, he wasn't happy about it. His ears twitched and his eyes were wide open.  
"I… No, I can't…", he whispered.  
Kiwi gently lay her hands against his face and looked him in the eye. His beautiful, ruby red eyes, filled with panic.  
"Vinnie, I really don't wanna push you into something you're not ready for, but honestly, you don't really have a choice. We can drug you if you want, so you won't notice a thing, but Modo needs you."  
Vinnie's breathing became heavy and he looked at Kiwi with so much despair, it almost broke her heart.  
"My sweet Vincent… I will be there the whole time. I'll hold your hand, I'll talk to you, I'll even sing for you if I have to, but please… Nobody's gonna hurt you. I need you to trust me. Just like I trusted you that day at the bank…"  
He bit on his lip, his hands were shaking.  
Kiwi took his hands and held them.  
"Do you trust me?"  
He looked at her, and slowly, he nodded.  
"I'll make sure nothing is gonna happen to you, Vin. You're safe. Come on…" and she gently took him with her to the living room.

When they walked inside, Vinnie's eyes were flying into every direction. First, he saw Modo lying on the couch, his skin as white as his fur. Then, he looked at Throttle, who smiled encouraging at him. And then he looked at Ruby. He looked at her as if she was the devil in disguise, but Kiwi squeezed his hand.  
"You can do this, Vinnie."  
Ruby took a deep breath, knowing when she needed to be a little bit more subtle.  
"Hey, you. Don't worry, I'll be nice to you. Please, sit here", and she pointed at the other couch.  
Vinnie took a few deep breaths, to make sure he kept his head clear and slowly sat down. Kiwi sat down next to him, still holding his hand.  
Ruby kneeled down in front of him and lay her hands on his knees.  
"Listen, I know how hard this is for you. But you're doing the right thing. It's very brave of you. Let me explain what I'm gonna do. First, I'm gonna shave you at the place where your vein is, right here…", and she lay her finger on the inside of his elbow. She felt his tensed muscles, but she continued.  
"Then, I clean your skin with a little bit of alcohol. That feels cold, but it doesn't hurt. I'll put this around your arm…", and she held up a elastic band.  
"After that, it's the hardest part. I need to insert a needle. The needle isn't small, otherwise it's gonna take too long. When I have enough blood, I remove the needle and you need to take it easy for a couple of hours, since you can feel dizzy or even faint after giving blood… You think you can do that?"  
She talked to him as if he was child, Throttle realized. But it worked. Vinnie was looking at her with wide eyes, following every word what she was saying like a eager schoolkid. Poor guy. It broke Throttle's heart to see him like this. But it was also a good step into the right direction of recovery. He knew his younger bro was never gonna get over it, but maybe they could help him to make it a little less heavy.  
Vinnie slowly nodded, still staring at Ruby. Even Ruby had a hard time looking at him. The panic and despair on his face really moved her.  
"Okay. Let me know when you're feeling the panic is gonna take over, okay? Then I'll stop and only continue when you're ready."  
Kiwi was impressed how Ruby handled this. But she worked with soldiers before. She knew exactly how to do this. She looked at Vinnie. He was so hard trying to hold himself under control. She hated it she needed to ask this from him. He wasn't ready. He probably never was gonna be ready. This ran deep. Wounds on the inside that were never gonna heal completely. But Modo needed him.  
Ruby gently took his arm and after a little hesitation, he stretched it. She started to shave the fur.  
"You're doing great, Vinnie. I know you can do this", she said, grabbing the alcohol. "This feels cold, but that's all, okay?", and she looked at the white furred mouse. He gave her a small nod, his teeth clenched and his eyes still wide open. Ruby smiled reassuring at him and she cleaned the shaved skin with the alcohol. When she touched him, he almost pulled back his arm, shivering like a scared child in the dark. But he stopped himself. Ruby was worried about what was gonna happen next. She wasn't sure if he was ready for this. But there wasn't exactly a choice.

Kiwi held Vinnie's other hand, her thumb rubbed slowly over his fingerless glove.  
"It's okay, Vin, you're doing just fine. Try to stay focussed on the fact you're here with us, on Earth. Ruby isn't gonna hurt you. Nothing is gonna happen to you…", she whispered.  
She studied him. He was breathing heavily between clenched teeth, his whole body was shaking and his eyes… Oh god, his eyes were filled with pure panic. She quickly shared a worried look with Throttle, who came closer to grab Vinnie in case he would lose his shit again.  
Ruby took a deep breath and grabbed the needle. But when Vinnie saw it, he snapped.  
"NO!", and he yanked himself free, while jumping at his feet. He pushed Kiwi back on the couch and he wanted to get the hell outta here, but Throttle caught him.  
"Vincent, look at Modo", he ordered, and when Vinnie didn't do as he said, he raised his voice.  
"VINCENT! Look at Modo! NOW!"  
Vinnie stared at him, but then looked at Modo. The big guy looked small, weird enough. His breathing was shallow and Vinnie saw the white skin shining through his fur. Throttle grabbed Vinnie by the chin and forced him to look at him. He hated it to be so stern right now, but he had no choice.  
"Listen to me. You're the only one who can save him. I know you. He's your family. OUR family. OUR bro. And you're never gonna forgive yourself if you let him die. So, you are gonna sit on that couch, give your blood and if you don't, we will drug you. This is gonna happen, one way or another. So make your choice. NOW. Because our bro is running outta time."  
"I… I wanna help him, but… dammit, I can't… I can't do this again…", Vinnie stuttered. Tears streamed over his face, he was clearly battling with himself.  
"Do we need to drug you?", Throttle asked, still holding him by the chin.  
"NO! No, please, don't… I…Fucking hell… Fuck this. Fuck this shit!", Vinnie growled and took a few deep breaths.  
Throttle saw something change in his eyes. He nodded and let his white furred bro go.  
Vinnie stumbled back to the couch and sat down. Kiwi grabbed his hand again and he stretched his arm.  
"Let's get this over with", he breathed with a hoarse, low voice.  
Ruby nodded. Vinnie closed his eyes and Kiwi lay her head against his chest. He wrapped his other arm around her and held her tightly. He buried his nose in her hair. Kiwi heard his heart racing and she just held him tightly. Ruby quickly pricked the needle in his arm and Vinnie held his breath when he felt the sting. He grabbed Kiwi even tighter and started to hum a melody she never heard before.  
But Throttle did. It gave him goosebumps all over his body. It was the song that Jester was humming.  
Ruby quickly attached a tube at the needle and quickly walked over to Modo and did the same. Normally, she would use a bag for the blood, but Throttle was right; the big guy was running outta time. Vinnie's blood now immediately entered Modo's body. She watched how the white furred mouse was holding Kiwi tightly, his eyes squeezed shut, his teeth clenched and humming this melodie over and over again. But he did it. Ruby was impressed. She knew how deep these wounds could go sometimes. And given his previous reactions, this ran deep. Very deep. So, that he was able to control himself right now, was miraculous to say at least. She knew Kiwi had a big part in this. She was proud of her. She also came from very deep, but look at her now. She was a fighter. Ruby had seen it in her eyes the moment she saw her, lying in that hospital bed.

Ruby quickly turned around and finished the stitching from Modo's wound. After fifteen minutes, she checked his vitals again. His skin was slowly turning back to its own, healthy colour and his pulse was way stronger already. Pfiew. It was a close one. But he was gonna make it.  
She walked over to Vinnie, who hadn't moved the whole process and he was still humming that song. She lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"I'm gonna remove the needle now. And I know you wanna get outta here as soon as I'm done, but it's important you stay on your seat. Like I told before, you need to take it slow for now. We don't want you to get hurt, now do we?"  
Vinnie nodded, his eyes still closed, but his lips curled into a little smile. Ruby quickly removed the band and needle. She wrapped a small bandage around his arm, to avoid he was gonna bleed.  
"Voila. All done. You can be proud of yourself, Vinnie. You did very good", Ruby said friendly.  
Vinnie slowly lifted his head and looked at her with dazed eyes.  
"Did you doubt…?", he whispered.  
Kiwi smiled. He was gonna be okay.  
"Modo is gonna be alright, guys. He just needs rest. I will give him some antibiotics and painkillers, he need to take them twice a day, okay?", Ruby asked, while starting with cleaning up the mess.  
Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, no problem. Ruby, I don't know what to say, I…", but Ruby held up her hand.  
"It's my job. No problem at all", she said, blunt as always. Throttle smiled.  
Suddenly, Modo moaned and slowly opened his eye. The first face he saw was Ruby's. She got beautiful eyes, he noticed now. Black. Just like… Cami.  
"Hey, big guy. Welcome back", she winked at him.  
Modo tried to smile at her, but his face didn't seem to cooperate. Ruby smiled.  
"Take your time. You took quite the knocking. I'll come back in two days to check on you, okay? Stay strong, big guy."  
Modo sighed heavily and his eyes closed again.  
Ruby turned around and threw her bag over her shoulder.  
"Kiwi, call me if you think there's something wrong. If not, I'll see you in two days. Try to keep them all under control, will ya? They all could use a little rest after all this."  
"I will, Ruby. Thanks."  
The red headed woman nodded and left the room. Kiwi heard the door closing behind her.  
Vinnie was hanging listless on the couch, staring at the ceiling.  
"What a day… What a fucked up day…", he sighed.  
The others couldn't agree more.

The next day, Modo woke up again. This time, he felt way more clear than yesterday. He slowly lifted his head and looked around him. Throttle was sleeping in the big chair next to him. Vinnie and Kiwi were lying on the couch, intimately entwined and also deeply asleep. He lay down again with a sigh. Luckily, they were all okay. He immediately got flooded with shame.  
Flo…  
Oh momma, he sure messed up, big time. And his bro's and Kiwi almost paid the price for his stupidity. Pain jolted through his arm, but he didn't care. It was the least he deserved after what he'd done.  
"Hey, big fella", he suddenly heard Throttle's husky voice. He looked at his tan furred bro.  
"Hey…", he said, turning his face away again. He just couldn't look his bro in the eye.  
Throttle sat down next to him.  
"Welcome back. How are you feeling?", he asked.  
Modo almost couldn't stand the friendly look on his bro's face. He just didn't deserve it.  
"Modo, what…", Throttle started, but Modo suddenly grabbed him by the arm.  
"Throttle, I'm so, so sorry. About everything. I was wrong, and…", but Throttle stopped him.  
"Bro, it's okay. Differences in opinion are allowed. And it all ended well. So, stop feeling guilty, okay?", but Modo shook his head.  
"Kiwi almost died because of me, and Flo tried to shoot you and…", but again, Throttle stopped him.  
"You saved Kiwi. You caught the bullet for me. You were there for us when we needed you. So, stop feeling bad about this. You need to take things slow. We almost lost you there, bro."  
Modo finally looked at him.  
"What are you talking about?", he asked confused. He hardly could remember anything after he got in the car with Kiwi.  
"You lost a lot of blood. If it wasn't for Vinnie, and Ruby of course, you wouldn't have made it…", Throttle said slowly.  
"Vinnie? He... ", Modo stuttered, still confused, but then it dawned on him. "He gave me blood?"  
"Yeah. He's the only one with the same blood type, remember?"  
"But… what about his trauma, what about I did to Kiwi…?"  
"You really think because of all this, we just would've let you die? That Vinnie would've let you die?", Throttle asked. Now it was him who was confused.  
Modo shrugged.  
"Yeah well… He cares a lot about her. I think he even loves her. And I almost got her killed…"  
"Modo, stop it. You know better than this. We're family. We all make mistakes. But that doesn't mean we let each other down. No way. Like I said, differences in opinion are allowed. And that woman played with your head. It wasn't your fault."  
Modo looked past Throttle at his white furred bro, who was still sleeping with Kiwi in his arms. He noticed the bandage around his arm.  
"So, he overwon his trauma to save me?"  
"I really don't understand why you're so surprised... But no, he didn't overwon it. He's never gonna recover from that, we know that now. He just… sat it out. Because he didn't had a choice."  
"There's always a choice…"  
"Stop it, Modo. Letting you die wasn't a option. So, there was no choice", Throttle said firmly.  
Modo sighed. Throttle was right. He would've done the same for his bro's. He would give his life for his bro's. But still…  
He yawned. He was so tired. Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"Go to sleep, big fella. You need your rest. And stop carrying the whole world on your shoulders. Things happen. And sometimes, it tackles you. But no matter how hard you fall, you always stand up again and you move on. Got that?"  
Modo nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya…"  
And quickly after that, he drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep.

Vinnie woke up with a startl and clenched his teeth to keep the scream that was burning in his throat inside. He looked wildly around him, but quickly realized he was lying on the couch in the livingroom. He saw Throttle sleeping in the big chair and Modo was snoring loud. Vinnie wrinkled his nose. Damn, you should think he was used at Modo's snoring by now… But it almost made his eardrums vibrate and a pounding headache slowly made his way up to his temples. He yawned and suddenly noticed he was missing something. Something with black hair and twinkling blue eyes. Hmmm…  
Vinnie slowly slid off the couch and found Kiwi in the yard, sitting on top of the picnic table. He strolled over to her and she turned around when she heard him.  
"Hey, macho mouse", she said softly, a little sad smile on her face.  
Vinnie stared at her face. Both of her eyes were swollen, her eyelids had a purple/black color. Her nose was also swollen.  
"Sweetheart…", he whispered, touching her cheek. "Look at your face…"  
Kiwi turned her head the other way, somehow ashamed.  
"Flo packed a serious punch", she said shortly.  
Vinnie sighed and sat down next to her. He swung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Kiwi crawled against him, sniffing up his scent. He always smelled so good.  
"I missed your pretty face next to me when I woke up, doll. How long have you been out here?"  
"I don't know. I just couldn't sleep anymore and… well, I needed some fresh air…"  
Vinnie immediately understood what she meant. She was having nightmares too. Not a strange reaction giving the circumstances.  
"I thought I was gonna die yesterday in that box… God, I was so scared…", she whispered.  
Vinnie just held her tightly. He suddenly felt guilty. This was all because she was with them. Because he was with her. They dragged her into this war and she had faced death too many times now. How long was she gonna take this? How long was he gonna take this? What if...  
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart…", he whispered. Kiwi froze and looked up at him.  
"This isn't your fault, love…"  
Vinnie shrugged, clearly not at ease.  
Kiwi studied him. And it suddenly dawned on her.  
"Vinnie, come on. You can't blame you and your bro's for this…"  
"I just… I... ", Vinnie stuttered.  
God dammit, grab yourself together, macho mouse. He took a few deep breaths.  
"It's just… We're the reason you almost died yesterday. If you never met us, then…", but Kiwi interrupted him.  
"If I never met you guys, I was long gone already. Because of you, I finally have a reason to live…"  
"I know, but what if… what if we… No, what if I'm not gonna be on time to save you next time? What if I'll lose you?", Vinnie softly said.  
Yesterday, he'd thought for a moment he'd lost her. And the pain was unbearable. He needed her. Clearly. But still…  
"It just feels selfish to be with you because I need you and because I can't stay away from you, I'm putting your life at risk…"  
Kiwi grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her, feeling a pang of panic.  
"Don't talk like that. Please, Vinnie… It feels like you wanna say goodbye. But I need you. Don't you see? I love you, you stupid mouse…"  
Her eyes grew wide. Shit. Did she just really said that? She stared at Vinnie, who stared back. But then, his lips curled into a small, arrogant smile.  
"I love you too, you crazy woman…"  
Kiwi giggled and kissed him. He pulled her on his lap and kissed her back. When he broke off the kiss, she leaned with her forehead against his.  
"I'm so proud of you, by the way. You did it. You saved your bro, even if you knew you weren't ready to face your demons. But you did it for him. I admire that."  
She saw him blush and she smiled. Crazy mouse. A roaring sound broke the silence.  
"Guess it's time for breakfast", she laughed when Vinnie looked at her a little ashamed.  
"Guess it is…", he smiled and he kissed her again. She kissed him back, way too eager, but before things could get out of control, Vinnie stopped her.  
"Breakfast, sweetheart."  
"Right."  
And Kiwi quickly climbed off his lap and walked to the kitchen, a big smile on her face. Even if things were rough, scary and sometimes even almost deathly, it all was worth it. Because she would face everything to have Vinnie at her side.

After breakfast, there was a silence. Modo was strong enough to join them in the kitchen and he was obviously having a hard time with himself. Vinnie felt the tension, but didn't knew what to say and just stared at his plate. No surprise there. Throttle sighed and looked at Kiwi. She nodded at him and he turned his gaze on Modo.  
"Speak up, big fella. What's eating you?"  
The tan furred mouse knew exactly what was eating him, but it wasn't his place to tell.  
Modo took a deep breath and looked at Kiwi.  
"Kiwi ma'am, I… I just don't know what to say, you… you almost died because of my stupidity. I only can say how sorry I am…"  
Kiwi lay a hand on his hand.  
"Modo, this wasn't your fault… And you saved me. Thank you. For saving my life."  
He gave her a sad smile. Then, he looked at Vinnie, who was still staring at his plate. But before anyone could say something, the white furred mouse surprised them all. He probably even surprised himself. His head jerked up and he looked at Modo.  
"I never should've said that it was your fault, big fella. Because it wasn't. I'm sorry…"  
Modo stared at him for a moment, but then quickly recovered.  
"It's okay, Vinnie, you were worried and… I know. And eh… thanks for ehm… this", and he pointed at the bandage around Vinnie's arm.  
Vinnie started to blush and shrugged.  
"No biggie. You're my bro. Couldn't just let you die, right? Besides… I'm a hero. It's just what I do", and he winked at Modo.  
Modo sighed, but smiled. That's Vinnie for ya. But he knew everything was okay now. And a huge weight fell off his shoulders. But he vowed to himself to never let a girl between him and his bro's. Not even a red headed woman with beautiful black eyes…  
"Hey, what happened with Flo?", he quickly asked, not wanting to think about Ruby right now.  
Vinnie chuckled.  
"Don't worry about her. She can brighten up the guards in jail with that ice queen attitude of hers…"  
Modo looked surprised at Throttle.  
"You called the police?"  
Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, seemed the right thing to do."  
"But what about the journals? If the police finds them, we…"  
"No sweat, sweetheart. Kiwi grabbed them when you were bleeding to death in the car."  
Kiwi punched him.  
"Honestly, where's your filter?", but then she looked at Modo.  
"When I brought you to the car, I spotted Flo's car, hiding between the bushes. I quickly grabbed the files and the journals, but left the weapons."  
"Yeah, so it's gonna be her word against theirs… Well, we already know the police doesn't buy stories about mice on motorcycles", Vinnie added, looking proud at his girl.  
Modo nodded. He somehow felt relieved. He knew Throttle would never let him, but he kinda was scared that Vinnie still had killed her. But luckily, he didn't. No matter how hard she hurted him, she didn't deserve to die like that. And it wasn't their thing. It just was wrong.  
Kiwi suddenly jumped at her feet.  
"Wait, there was something in the files you guys need to see", she said and ran out of the kitchen. The mice looked at each other. Vinnie shrugged. How someone could get excited like that from some dusty old journals was something he didn't, and probably never will, understand.  
Kiwi ran back and threw something on the table and Throttle took it. It was a picture. He stared at the human standing on the right. That must be Barker. The guy looked tiny next to the Martian Mouse that was standing on his right, but his face was full with joy. Throttle's gaze landed on professor Milestone and breathed in sharply. Even if the picture was old, very old, it already was in colour. Probably technique from Mars. But the mouse had a shining, snow white fur. And as far as he knew, there were only a few families who carried this rare gen. And one of them was sitting next to him right now.  
He looked at Vinnie, who wasn't interested in the picture at all. Then he looked at Modo, who saw it too. They exchanged looks.  
"He's white", Modo said slowly.  
"Yeah…", Throttle nodded.  
Vinnie still wasn't interested. He was busy with stuffing his mouth full with the last pancake that was left.  
Kiwi noticed the looks on his bro's faces.  
"What?"  
"Eh… White mice are pretty rare on Mars…"  
"Are you trying to say that this mouse is family of Vinnie?", Kiwi asked, her eye wide open.  
Vinnie froze, his mouth still full. He snatched the picture out of Throttle's hand and looked at it. But then, he shrugged and threw the picture over his shoulder. He tried to say something, but his mouth was still full. He quickly swallowed his bite.  
"Who cares? The guy died ages ago. It's not like I knew him or something."  
Throttle chuckled. Only Vinnie couldn't care less about this discovery. Throttle could understand where he was coming from. It didn't matter, actually. But if it was him who found out that professor Milestone could be related to him, he would find that very interesting. But it didn't surprise him that Vinnie didn't.  
"I guess you're right", Kiwi sighed. But she grabbed the picture and put it in her pocket.  
"I will keep it with the journals and other stuff. It's history. We can't just throw it away."  
"Yeah, and maybe loudmouth isn't interested, but I am. I wanna read the journals", Throttle said. Kiwi nodded.  
Vinnie looked outside.  
"You know, bro's… I really could use a ride and a few explosions. Now, it happens to be that we got Flo behind bars, but she was hired by something big, smelly and ugly…"  
Throttle scratched behind his big ear, a thoughtful frown on his face. Then, he looked at Modo. The big guy could hardly sit up straight in his chair, let alone riding a bike. Hmmm..  
"You know, Vincent… You're right. Let's blow up his building to keep him busy, before he finds out one of our team player is outta business for now…"  
Vinnie jumped at his feet and pumped his fist in the air.  
"Yeah! AAAOOWW, let's rock and ride!" and he ran to the garage. Throttle smiled at Kiwi and Modo.  
"Sorry, big fella. But you need to sit this one out. You need rest."  
Modo nodded. He knew his bro was right.  
Throttle quickly followed Vinnie before the white furred mouse was already gone and was gonna do something stupid, like he always did. They drove away and quickly after that, Kiwi saw the whole building scrambling into dust in the distant. She smiled. That were here guys. Now, it was time to take a little break. To catch their breaths and recover. Because they may have won this battle, this war was far from over.

After two days, Ruby came over to check on Modo. Vinnie quickly left the room, mumbling something about feeding the birds. Kiwi giggled. Of course, his trauma wasn't funny at all, but Ruby only came for a check up. But Vinnie clearly linked the lady to trouble. Ah well, she really couldn't blame him.  
Modo was sitting on the couch, reading a James Bomb book. When he looked up, he looked straight into Ruby's twinkling eyes.  
"Hey there, big guy. How're you feeling?"  
The book slipped out of his hands, but he caught it before it hit the ground.  
"Ruby ma'am. Didn't see you there… I eh… I'm feeling okay, I guess…", he stuttered, a blush on his cheeks.  
Ruby nodded and quickly examined him. When she was done, she also checked the wound. But everything was looking good.  
"You're doing fine. You'll be back on your feet before you know it."  
And she turned around to face Kiwi.  
"Sorry, I can't stay. Need to go to work. You okay? Your face looks like it's been used as a boxing ball."  
Kiwi glared at her.  
"I'm fine. Talk to you later."  
Ruby laughed and wanted to leave, but Modo cleared his throat.  
"Eh, Kiwi ma'am? Never got the chance to thank you… So eh… Yeah… thanks for saving my life."  
But as usual, Ruby didn't want to hear it.  
"Thank that white furred bouncing ball. Without his blood, even I couldn't have saved you. Take care, big fella."  
And she left the room, leaving Modo speacheless behind. Oh momma. This woman was way too feisty for him. But her eyes… he wondered why he hadn't noticed before. Ah well… she would never want him. Probably for the best to forget about her. She was clearly out of his leak.

The next few weeks went on quietly. Modo was completely recovered from his gunshot, but Kiwi and his bro's noticed he wasn't himself yet. And Kiwi knew why. He was lovesick. Even if Flo had tried to kill her and his bro's, even if she had used him, even if she betrayed him… he also was head over heals with the woman from the moment he'd laid eyes on her and now, he was still having a hard time with coping with all this. Poor guy… But this needed time. Kiwi knew that. She just wished there was something she could do to cheer him up. But there wasn't.

The mice were taking a ride through the city to patrol, but also to try to distract Modo from his pain. They stopped for a red light, next to a cabrio. The guy behind the wheel was obviously very full of himself, looking at the mirror the whole time with a smile on his face. Throttle knew how to recognize a walking ego since he was living with one. Then his gaze landed on the woman next to the guy. She was pretty and staring at him. She lowered her sunglasses and he saw how her eyes almost undressed him. The guy next to her, probably her boyfriend, saw it too and didn't look happy about it. Throttle chuckled. Even if he was flattered, he was with Carbine. And no woman was gonna push her from her throne.  
"Ride free, beautiful citizens", he smiled and when the light turned green, he and his bro's quickly drove away.  
Vinnie drove up next to him.  
"Heeeeyyy, bro… that lady was checking you out seriously… Of course, you were blocking her view of me", he quickly added.  
Modo rolled his eyes.  
"Oh momma… But yeah, Throttle. She was giving you the old loving eye", he said, but his voice sounded sad. He didn't want to talk about woman. But he didn't say it out loud.  
"Yeah well… You kinda get used it after a while…", Throttle shrugged. "And speaking of eye… Keeps yours out for trouble."  
"Oh puhlease… What kinda trouble you think we're gonna find here?", Vinnie asked, looking at Throttle with narrowed eyes. Somehow, he couldn't stand it when his bro was playing his role, including the big ego.  
Throttle chuckled. He knew exactly how to get on Vinnie's nerves. But when he looked in front of him, he already spotted trouble.  
"That kind. Oil spills… All over the road", and he pointed at the road before them.  
"And when there's oil…", Modo started.  
"...you just know old stinkface is been oozing around…", Vinnie finished with a smirk.  
"Bingo. Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

The mice followed the trail and ended on the beach of a small lake. They saw Karbunkle standing across the lake, holding some sort of device. Greasepit was standing next to him.  
"Ahhh, what a beautiful idyllic scene…", Karbunkle sighed happily, looking at the lake.  
It was a beautiful day. The lake was surrounded by trees and the sun made the water shine like there were a million diamonds close to the surface. There were a few small boats lying in the water, with people fishing in it.  
"It's really quite a shame that I am going to have to completely obliterate it, hahahahaaaa!", he cackled.  
Greasepit was rubbing his hands with a smile on his face and he slapped Karbunkle on the back.  
"Yeah! Obligitais it…", he laughed. Karbunkle glared at him. But then…  
"Well now, I wouldn't stick your rep onto that diagnosis, doc…", a husky voice said and the two minions looked at the beach across the lake.  
"You see, we kinda like the view as is…", Throttle added.  
"Making waves again, 'ey, Biker mice?", Karbunkle asked.  
He looked way too happy. Usually that meant he was having a plan.  
"Ooooh, I think not. You see, you're just in time to help me test my new tsunami generator!", and he pushed a button on the device he was holding.  
A cable, that was attached to the device and disappeared into the lake, lighted up and the mice suddenly felt the ground shake beneath their feet.  
"What the…", Vinnie said, looking at the ground, but he suddenly noticed the water was pulling back. He looked up and a huge wave came towards them, including the boats. The people inside it were screaming in fear.  
"Oh man…", Throttle sighed.  
"You said it, bro", Vinnie chuckled, still looking at the wave.  
"Looks like the wet is about to come back in a huge way…", Modo added.  
"I can't be killed… There are still races to be won… Girls who haven't met me…", Vinnie said with a frown on his face.  
Modo glared at his white furred bro.  
"Besides… We've gotta save them fisherman!", Modo pointed out.  
His bro really needed to get his priorities straight, alright. But then again, he probably was convinced there was nothing wrong with his priorities.

The wave came closer and closer, ready to destroy everything on his path, including the mice. They were in big trouble now.  
Because how on Mars did you stop a big wave of water?

* * *

Oh dear...  
I skipped Bleu Cheese Bros. Sorry guys, but the next chapter connects better with the previous one. Hope you don't mind.  
I also used a cliffhanger from the show, muawahaha. Maybe not as half as nervewrecking as my own cliffhangers, but hey, it's still a cliffhanger. ;)

Thanks for reading my story and puhlease, review! :)

Later y'all!


	28. Chapter 27

Thanks again for the reviews, really appreciate it! Keeps me motivated to keep writing, since it isn't always easy.  
But because of you guys, I always manage to get through a writers block. Thank you so much for that. :)

On to the next chapter, enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty seven**

Well, the answer to that question is simple; you don't. But as always, Throttle had the solution to save the fishermen. He revved his bike.  
"Wheel and reel manoeuvre number six!" and he and his bro's turned their bikes and shot ropes out of the back.  
The hooks grabbed a tree and they fired their jets. They landed on the other side of the beach and each drove around a tree. The ropes tightened and right at that moment, the wave reached land and broke. The water made his way through the bushes and trees, but the boats with the people in it landed on the ropes.  
"Aaaooww, yeah! Not a bad haul!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Okay, now let's grab Karbunkle", and Modo slammed his metal hand into his other hand.  
"Nah, afraid it ain't gonna happen, Modo", Throttle said and he pointed at the other side of the lake, where he saw Karbunkle and Greasepit driving away in Greasepits trike.  
"Looks like this is one that got away…"  
Modo sighed and they drove towards the fishermen, who were still hanging in the ropes.  
"Ah well, at least we did… hey, nice catch!", Modo suddenly called out when he saw the fish that the citizens caught.  
"Yeah! What're you using for bait?", Vinnie asked, also looking at the big fish, somehow impressed.  
The men in the boat looked at them. One of them shrugged.  
"I dunno… Some kinda cheese…", and he showed it to them.  
The mice moaned.  
"Ugh, I hate cheese…", Vinnie gagged.  
"Let's ride, bro's" and they quickly drove away, still with their noses wrinkled.  
Modo sighed and looked at his bro's.  
"Ah man, you bro's are never been on a really good fishing trip. I remember back on Mars… I used to to bring my little nephew Rimfire fishing in the secret canal I knew…", Modo finally smiled, after being sad for weeks now. "Let me tell you, bro's. That was some righteous fishing…"  
Vinnie and Throttle shared a quick look.  
"Yeah well, Rimfire ain't no kid anymore, remember?", Vinnie said. "Might be grown outta the sport."  
"Hey! Once a fisherman, always a fisherman. Just hoping little Rimfire is keeping his powder dry and staying outta trouble up there…", Modo said, looking up at the sky, a nostalgic look on his face. He still felt sad he didn't saw his nephew the last time they were back on Mars, but there just wasn't enough time back then. First, the Freedom Fighters who were after them, then saving Kiwi, the ice asteroid, Limburger, Brie… He sighed. He just hoped he was gonna see him again. One day.

When they came home, they parked the bikes in the garage and walked into the garden to the guest house, still talking about the good old days on Mars.  
"Oh come on, I'm a legend on Mars! You guys just don't know…", Vinnie suddenly trailed off.  
His eyes had spotted Kiwi, who was lying in the sun in her red bikini. Throttle and Modo looked at him because he suddenly stopped talking and followed his gaze. Ah. Of course, there were just a few things that would shut up their white furred bro. Food and girls did the trick most of the time. Vinnie just stared at Kiwi for a moment, but then a appreciative smile curled his lips.  
"If you guys excuse me for a moment…", and he strolled over to her.  
"Hey sweetheart... ", he said with that low voice and Kiwi opened her eyes.  
She looked straight into Vinnie's lazy arrogant eyes and she smiled.  
"Hey macho mouse", she purred and he suddenly jumped on her. He landed on his hands that were now next to her to avoid she got crushed under his weight and he kissed her. She wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him back.  
Throttle was watching the scene with mixed feelings. Of course, he was happy for his bro. And were he first somehow held his distance when they were around, it was obvious they were growing closer to each other. And he deserved it. But she was still a human and Throttle knew it was gonna tear them both apart when they needed to go back to Mars. Modo saw him thinking and patted his bro on the back.  
"I know what you're thinking, bro. But maybe we can just let them be happy for now… You know, after all the misery they both went through?"  
Throttle took a deep breath and nodded.  
"Yeah, I guess your right, big fella…", but he didn't sound that convinced.  
Modo suddenly got a idea. This whole adventure they had at the lake made him even more homesick than ever. But maybe he could test his fisher skills here in the yard. Maybe that would cheer him up.

Half hour later, they were all sitting in the yard. Kiwi had changed into her normal clothes and was reading a book now. Vinnie was sitting in one of the chairs, balancing on the hind legs, drinking a rootbeer. Throttle was lying in the grass, reading the journals from Professor Milestone. Modo was also sitting on a chair with a fishing rod he had found in the shed. He had placed a bucket with water at the other side of the yard and was practising his throw. Which was still surprisingly good. The hook landed in the bucket and Modo smiled.  
"Ah yes… still got that old Modo touch with a lure..."  
Vinnie took a sip of his rootbeer.  
"Lure schmure. Why make it hard on yourself? Personally, if I'd ever go fishing with ya, I'm using grenades…", he smirked.  
Modo shook his head.  
"Well, thanks for the warning. Think I stick to Rimfire as a fishing partner…" He yanked at the fishing rod and the bucket was starting his journey towards them.  
"After all, as my dear old momma always said…"

" _MAYDAY, MAYDAY!"_

Modo looked confused.  
"No, no, she didn't say m… what?", he called out, ducking for the bucket.  
Vinnie eyes grew big when he saw the bucket was coming straight at him.  
"Hey!", he started, but there just wasn't enough time. The bucket slammed in his face and he fell off his chair, water all over him and a bucket on his head. He quickly threw the bucket away, a annoyed look on his face.  
Modo walked over to his bike, which was always parked as close as possible.  
"I think that was Rimfire!" and he pushed a button.  
Kiwi shared a confused look with Vinnie. Who the hell is Rimfire?  
" _This is Rimfire, calling the Biker Mice!"  
_ Everybody stared at each other for a moment, but Modo quickly recovered himself.  
"This is your uncle Modo, we hear ya, boy, come back!"  
Uncle? Well, that explained. Kiwi never knew Modo's nephew was still alive. He never had talked about him.  
" _I'm on Earth approach in a Plutarkian ship, I came to warn you you're in real danger! There's… AAHHH!"  
_ Modo's eyes grew wide, panic clearly written on his face.  
"Rimfire! What just happened, what's your status?"  
" _I'm hit, I'm hit!"  
_ Vinnie was still lying on the ground, water dripping of his face and something got his attention.  
"Uh oh, bro's. Landing Martian on twelve o'clock", he said, pointing up.  
His bro's and Kiwi looked up and Kiwi saw the same fireball coming down as when the mice had crashed on Earth.  
" _The ship's on fire, I'm going down…"  
_ "Shit, it's heading towards Lake Michigan!", Kiwi called out. Throttle jumped at his bike.  
"Helmets on, bro's. We got a ship to catch."  
His bro's quickly followed his example.  
"Pronto!", Modo added, worried about his nephew.  
Kiwi jumped behind Vinnie and they revved their bikes.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

They followed the falling ship with dangerous speed. It was indeed heading for Lake Michigan. But that was a good thing. It was way better if the ship would land in the water instead of the ground. It would draw way too much attention, just like their ship back then. If there was another spaceship crashing down, the government might start a search to the owners and that was the last thing they could need right now.  
When they were close enough, Throttle hit the brakes and looked at Vinnie.  
"Wow, wow, now wait, Vincent. This is ground zero. You take Kiwi girl outta here", he ordered.  
For once, Vinnie obeyed without complaining.  
"I'm gone… AAAOOWW!", and he sped away to a safer location.  
Throttle looked at Modo, closing his visor.  
"Come on, big fella. Plutarkian steel. Gonna need two missiles."  
Modo also closed his visor, worry written on his face. They drove towards the ship that was coming closer and closer.  
"Family rescue number seven!", Throttle yelled.  
Modo looked confused.  
"What? I-I don't remember that one!", he stuttered, suddenly doubting himself.  
Throttle chuckled.  
"No surprise there, buddy, I'm making this one up as I go."  
Modo shook his head and they fired their jets, using a stairs close by the beach as a ramp.  
"Oh momma… You told me there'll be days like this…", Modo sighed, looking at the ship. But he knew they needed to get Rimfire outta there, no matter what. He pushed a button on his bike and the two rockets he fired blew a hole in the ship.  
Throttle entered the ship through the hole and stopped with shrieking brakes at the door to the cockpit.  
Modo made his way down and landed next to Vinnie and Kiwi. He looked up at the ship.  
"I'm counting on ya, bro…", he said softly.

Back in the ship, Throttle activated his knuck knocks and punched the door open.  
He looked into the cockpit and saw Modo's nephew lying unconscious on the controls, the radio still in his hand. The tan furred mouse quickly grabbed him by the jacket and threw him over his shoulder. He jumped on his bike and made a hasty retreat. Right on time. The ship crashed into the water. Luckily, it didn't explode and it quickly sank to the bottom. Throttle landed next to Modo. Rimfire moaned and Throttle chuckled.  
"Hey! Anybody wanna sign for this?"  
Modo jumped off his bike and ran over to Throttle.  
"Rimfire! Boy, are you okay?" and he lifted his nephew off Throttle's shoulder.  
But before anybody could say something, a big shadow fell over them and Rimfire pointed up.  
"Look…", he breathed, still a little dazed. "...out…"  
The bro's and Kiwi followed his finger and saw a huge, black ship hanging in the air.  
"Uh oh…" Throttle quickly revved his bike. Modo jumped back on his and Kiwi jumped off Vinnie's to support Rimfire. But the ship suddenly turned tail.  
"Hey! Scoop it out, bro's! It seems they be calling it a day…", Throttle said.  
But Rimfire shook his head.  
"I don't think they're gone… Those are stalkers. Trophy hunters. They won't give up. They're up to something. And you can bet… they'll be back."  
"Yeah… Well, then we better get prepped…", Throttle nodded.  
Vinnie suddenly breathed in sharply and everyone quickly looked over to him to see what's wrong.  
"Geez… What should I wear this party?", he asked, rubbing his chin. But then he started laughing.  
The rest rolled their eyes. Honestly…

Kiwi took a good look at Rimfire, now the threat was gone. He was smaller than Vinnie, clearly younger too. He was wearing some sort of army outfit, green pants with bags on the side, a soft yellow shirt and a sleeveless jacket over it with a star pinned on it. And maybe he wasn't that fully grown as her friends, he was already on his way. Kiwi could see the muscles under his fur, that had the colour of sand on the beach. He had a mohawk of brown hair between his ears with a orange stripe in the middle and his antennas peeped out of it.  
God, he was just a kid. And yet so grown up already. But then again, did they have a choice? No. Growing up in a war must be hard. And it clearly forces you to grow up fast.  
She saw how Modo looked at him and it almost made her cry. He clearly cared a lot about his nephew, but that wasn't surprising. The big fella maybe looked threatening, in reality he was just a big teddy bear.  
"Why don't we go home, guys? It's almost time for diner and I think you guys could use a little time to catch up", Kiwi suggested and Modo's face lit up. This was exactly what he needed right now. After the whole Flo thing, a little quality time with his family would help him forget it for now.

"Hmmm, this is really good. What is it?", Rimfire asked while swallowing his bite and looking at the hotdog in his hand.  
"That, my boy, is something we call the hotdog", Modo answered, holding his hotdog in the air like he was worshipping it. He probably was, though.  
"Yeah, buddy! Food of the gods", Throttle agreed, chuckling.  
"Finest cuisine on the planet", Vinnie nodded, while taking a big sip of his rootbeer and he burped loud. "And we wash it down with some fine root beer. Magnifique", he added, kissing his fingers.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Honestly, these mice. She looked at Rimfire, who was laughing and enjoying his food. When he was done, he looked at his uncle.  
"I thought you were dead…I was so happy when Carbine told me you were alive and kicking, on Earth", he said softly.  
Modo's face darkened and he swung an arm around his little nephew.  
"Luckily, I ain't. And you're the only family I've got left… I'm sorry. For leaving you. Not that I had a choice, but still…"  
Rimfire sighed.  
"I don't blame ya, uncle Modo. I immediately knew you would never just leave."  
"Kid got more brains than Carbine", Vinnie blurted out. Throttle gave him a warning look and Vinnie quickly focussed on his food, a little blush on his cheeks.  
But Rimfire nodded.  
"Yeah. But you can't really blame her. She's under a lot of stress, and she thought you guys were dead. She had a pretty hard time with it, trust me."  
Vinnie rolled his eyes, but said nothing.  
Throttle sighed.  
"Yeah well, she knows now. How did you end up here?"  
"I was on a mission to stop a Plutarkian patrol when I got caught by sandraiders. They brought me to the Plutarkians, but the Plutarkians sold me to the Stalkers. I heard them talking about you guys, that you were the perfect prey. I managed to escape and stole a ship from the Plutarkians to warn you. But I just led them straight to ya…"  
"No sweat, sweetheart. We can handle them", Vinnie said nonchalant, stuffing another hotdog in his mouth.  
But Rimfire shook his head.  
"They're different. They're smart. They…", but before Rimfire could continue, a window shattered and something flew inside. Everybody stared at the object lying on the floor.  
"Uh oh, bro's. Looks like this party's about to become a blow out!", Throttle warned, recognizing the object. "Bail dudes, that baby is about to blow!"  
But Vinnie jumped at his feet.  
"Never fear! Vinnie's here!" and he grabbed the bomb. But when he wanted to throw it back outside, it exploded. Luckily, it wasn't a real bomb and heavy smoke filled the whole kitchen.  
"Oops…"  
"Hey, we lucked out. It's only a smoke grenade", Throttle coughed.  
"Lucked out? Man, smells worse than Limburger's socks on laundry day", Modo managed to squeeze out between coughing.  
Throttle signed everybody to leave the kitchen.  
"Ah man… Ugh… So much for my heroic sacrifice…", Vinnie coughed, following the rest.  
Rimfire was holding Kiwi, who was gasping for air.  
"It's a trap. The stalkers are trying to smoke us out."  
Throttle grabbed their helmets and gave it to his bro's.  
"You got that right, kid. Rimfire, you and Kiwi hang back", and he put on his helmet and closed the visor. His bro's did the same and they walked to the garage.  
"What are you gonna do?", Rimfire asked, while dragging Kiwi with him.  
"We're gonna do what we do best, nephew", Modo's low voice rumbled.  
"WHIP SOME TAIL!", the three mice yelled in unison and they drove outside.

"Hey you stinkin' rats! We're coming to get yous!"  
Greasepits voice. He was standing behind the fence, looking really smugly at the mice. But when he looked over his shoulder, he suddenly wasn't that though anymore.  
"Guys? Guys? Oh no…"  
Modo grabbed him by the dungarees and dragged him with him on his bike. They drove to the city and when they were in the old neighborhood, Modo slammed him against a wall. Greasepit screamed in pain and slid down.  
"Alright, talk fast, grease cusher! Where are the stalkers?", Throttle asked with a low voice.  
"I eh.. I don't know… I swear... " and Greasepit shivered in fear, splattering oil all over Throttle and Modo.  
"They were right behind me when yous came outta the house…"  
Throttle sighed annoyed and grabbed a red bandana out of his pocket to clean his slippery hands. But before he even realized it, it was gone. A grenade had flew right past him, snatching the bandana right outta his hand and it exploded against the building closeby.  
"Hey!", Throttle called out in surprise.  
The mice looked up and saw the Stalkers standing on the roof of the building closeby. Again, they shot a grenade and it exploded closeby Vinnie. He flew into the air, but managed to get his bike back under control and he landed on his tires.  
He looked up, a angry look on his face.  
"Don't shoot at mice if you can't pay the price!", he called out irritated while revving his bike. He fired his jets and jumped up. "AAAOOOWW!"  
But when he landed on the roof, he saw nobody.  
"Huh? Where'd they go?", he asked confused.  
On the ground, Modo and Throttle looked up, Modo still holding Greasepit. The gray furred giant threw him away and looked up again. They saw Vinnie driving closeby the edge, searching for the enemy. Throttle suddenly saw a shadow behind him.  
"Vincent! Behind you!"  
Vinnie quickly turned his bike, but nothing to be seen. Suddenly, a rocket exploded next to him. He drove into the direction where the rocket came from, but again, he found nothing.  
Throttle and Modo joined him on the roof.  
"Nobody blindsides our bro", Modo warned, but they also saw nothing.  
Vinnie turned his bike and drove back to his bro's.  
"What the…"  
"Gone…"  
Modo raised his hands into the air in frustration.  
"Stand still and fight, dammit!"  
Another grenade flew past them and exploded.  
"We can't fight these guys if we can't get them in front of us", Vinnie pointed out, also frustrated.  
Throttle leaned on his handlebars.  
"Yeah well, then we just have to get them behind us…"  
Modo and Vinnie exchanged looks.  
"You mean… run?", Modo asked.  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest.  
"Ah man… You know what that'll do with my machismo rating?"  
Throttle revved his bike.  
"Well, at least we'll know where they are, Vincent. On our tails. Let's ride!" and they jumped off the building.  
It worked. The Stalkers came outta there hiding spot and started the chase. But the mice drove full speed and when they were outta town, Throttle signed to stop.  
"You think there still behind us?", Vinnie asked.  
"That's hard to tell", Throttle answered, looking at the dark streets behind them.  
"Yeah, these boys are slippery and greasy like snakes, alright", Modo said, waving with his tail.  
"Well, hey, hey hey… Speaking of snakes. Look what I spy with my pink little eye", Throttle suddenly chuckled and he pointed at the bushes.  
They saw Karbunkle standing by a hole in the ground, clearly busy with something. And knowing him, it was something bad.  
"Well? Do we pound him?", Modo asked happily.  
"That is standard procedure", Vinnie snickered.  
But suddenly, Throttle's radio came to life.  
" _Mayday, mayday!"  
_ "Hang on, bro's", Throttle said and pushed a button on his bike.  
"Go ahead, Kiwi."  
" _They got Rimfire, the Stalkers, they got him! They took him back to the tower to use as bait for you guys!"  
_ Kiwi's voice was filled with panic. Vinnie immediately tensed. Modo did too.  
"Oh momma…"  
"Ah man… How about you, Kiwi, are you okay?", Throttle asked.  
" _Yeah, they let me go. They said… they said I had no trophy value…"  
_ Vinnie leaned forward.  
"Well, you do to me, babe", he said with that arrogant low voice, wiggling his eyebrows.  
" _Ah, that's very sweet, Vinnie. But now isn't the time."  
_ Throttle chuckled and pushed Vinnie away.  
"Kiwi's right, Vincent. We gotta get Rimfire! And I got just the plan…"  
" _Stay safe, guys…"  
_ "We'll do, babe."  
Throttle broke the connection.  
"We'll get him back, Modo. You know we will", he said when he saw the defeated look on Modo's face.  
"Yeah, you bet we will. So, what's the plan?"  
"Well, as far as I can see, Karbunkle is busy with that stupid toy he showed us this morning. It creates earthquakes and if you use it in the water, a tsunami, right? I'd say; let's take it with us for a little experiment, bro's. I mean, I'm dying to know what will happen if we activate that thing while it's inside..."  
Vinnie's eyes grew wide of excitement.  
"AAAOOWW, life as I love it!"  
Modo nodded.  
"Yeah, that will teach them a lesson. What about Rimfire?"  
"You and Vinnie will free him. I'll take care of the rest. Let's ride!"  
They drove over to Karbunkle and Modo knocked him out in one movement. Throttle grabbed the device and the remote and they drove back to the city.

Loud music announced their presence. Vinnie and Modo drove full speed towards the tower, taking the attention away from Throttle, who was already in the building. They saw Rimfire was on the roof, tied up against some sort of cross. The two bro's winked at each other and fired their jets. While in the air, Vinnie lit one of his flares and when he flew past Rimfire, he burned the ropes. One of the Stalkers opened fire, but Rimfire dodged it. He made a backflip and landed on the back of Modo's bike. They quickly jumped off the building.  
In the meantime, Throttle drove out and pushed the button on the remote. The whole ground started to shake, but it was very local. It didn't took long before the whole building went down, along with Limburger and the Stalkers.

When Kiwi heard their engines, she quickly walked to the garage. But it were only Vinnie and Throttle.  
"Oh my god, you guys okay? Where are Modo and Rimfire?"  
"Modo took him fishing", Throttle smiled.  
Vinnie jumped off his bike, threw away his helmet and grabbed Kiwi.  
"I'm so glad you okay, sweetheart", he whispered.  
"Right back at ya, you crazy macho mouse…"  
She untangled herself.  
"What happened to the Stalkers?"  
"We caught them. Rimfire is gonna take them with him back to Mars, so they can stand trial, in their own spaceship", Throttle chuckled.  
Kiwi laughed.  
"Smart thinking, boys. Well, I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning, okay?"  
She hesitated. She actually wanted to ask if Vinnie was gonna come with her. But she still didn't know where his tan furred bro was standing. So, she gave the white furred mouse a kiss on the cheek and quickly left the garage.  
Vinnie looked at Throttle. Throttle looked back. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, Throttle sighed and threw his hands in the air.  
"I give up."  
Vinnie was already gone before the last word came outta his mouth. He shook his head. Crazy mouse. But Modo was right. They deserved to be happy for now.

Kiwi was just changing into her pyjamas when the door flew open. She whirled around, breathing in sharply. The door closed again with a bang and a white blur grabbed her and threw her on the bed.  
"Let me show you how much value you are to me, Kiwi", he said with that low voice she loved so much.  
Kiwi stared at him. He said her name. It was still a rare thing and when he did, she just… well, it meant a lot to her.  
Vinnie turned off the light and it was now completely dark in her room. Kiwi tried to see what he was doing, but suddenly, she felt him. Everywhere. His fur on her naked skin. His hands all over her body. His mouth claimed hers, but where he normally kissed her roughly and wild, he now kissed her gently. Tenderly. She kissed him back and his tongue slid into her mouth. She grabbed him tightly. Suddenly, his antennas started to glow red. He gently broke off the kiss and she could see his face in the soft red light. It made him even more beautiful. His ruby red eyes glittered in the dark and the look in it almost took her breath away.  
"I'm not that good in this mind trick stuff as Throttle, but… well, you'll see for yourself…"  
Kiwi breathed in sharply when he kissed her again, more passionate this time. His antenna made contact with her head and she suddenly got flooded with emotions. And she knew it weren't her own emotions. She felt love, so much love, it almost suffocated her, but at the same time there was fear to lose it. The need to protect it was almost as strong as the love itself. It all came with a nagging feeling of insecurity.  
She closed her eyes. She saw flashes of images of herself. She was sitting on that bench, staring at the fireball in the air. A white tail whirled around her waist and pulled her away from the danger. The image changed. She was lying in his arms, she looked up at him with eyes big of fear. They were falling and she started fighting to get out of his arms. A pang of fear jolted through her body. After that, anger. She saw herself sitting on the ground, Modo next to her who was trying to make her calm and all she could feel was anger. And love. Anger because of fear. Fear because of love.  
The images speeded up. Their moments together on his bike. His voice. His touches. The look in her own twinkling eyes when she looked at him. She saw herself falling off Limburger's tower and the fear on her own face took her breath away, because the look on her own face was exactly what she was feeling now. Herself sitting in the shower, with her clothes on. She heard herself saying these awful words to him and she felt the pain in her own heart. The fear of losing this feeling of love. But then, that moment at the picnic table. She was holding his hands and she came closer. It suddenly melted into that moment she was showing her family to him, when finally their lips made contact for the first time and the love almost made her heart explode. She knew she had felt a burning desire, but she now felt Vinnie's desire and it was almost too much.  
And then… that magical moment... the first time they had sex… She suddenly felt Vinnie pushing himself inside of her, at the same time she saw it happen in his memory. Slowly, the images flooded away. But she still felt his emotions and slowly, her own feelings joined it and it melted together into one, magical feeling.  
He made love to her, slowly, lovingly. It was breathtaking. It was almost surreal. It was almost too much for one person to feel. But at the same time, she couldn't get enough of it. They both reached their peak at the same time. He was still connected with her and the explosion of passion made her whole body tremble. It made her gasping his name. Her fingers buried themselves in his fur. And she clenched her teeth to keep the scream inside. But damn, this was mind blown. And it was starting to get too much. She could feel she was was gonna faint, but Vinnie broke the connection before it could happen.  
Her eyes flew open, she was breathing heavily. She stared at him, completely loss at words. Her muscles were still shaking. She felt dizzy, but at a good way. Her heart was racing.  
"Now you know…", he whispered.  
The way he looked at her, the way the words came over his lips... It was too much. On a good way.  
Kiwi broke. She grabbed him and held him tightly, tears were streaming over her face. He was the one who'd saved her from their falling ship. He'd started to love her since then. He loved her. He really loved her. She had felt it. And he was so, so scared of losing her. So he did everything he could to protect her. Words couldn't describe how she felt right now. This was the most amazing, breathtaking and passionate experience in her life. And slowly, she could feel how the whole world became black and she fell into a deep, dreamless and very satisfied sleep.  
Vinnie smiled. Was he good with woman, or what? But she was different. She was important. He really loved her. Even the feelings he had for Harley were nothing compared with what he was feeling for this girl. She was his home. He rolled next to her, threw the blanket over them both and crawled against her. Soon, he also drifted off, his arms wrapped around her and his tail holding her leg.  
Home.

Meanwhile, Modo and Rimfire sitting in a boat they'd found at Lake Michigan. Modo had thought the owner wouldn't mind them borrowing it for a moment. After all, who went fishing when it was almost the middle of the night?  
"Aahhh, just like the old times, ain't it, nephew?", Modo sighed happily.  
"It sure is, uncle Modo", Rimfire nodded, also a happy smile on his face.  
"You ready to go back tomorrow?", the gray furred giant asked.  
Rimfire nodded.  
"Yeah, I guess… Wish you could come with me, though."  
"Yeah… But our fight ain't finished here. But we'll come back, one day. I promise ya."  
"I know. And when you do, we can go fishing whenever we want."  
"That's a deal, boy. That's a deal…"  
And they both looked up, their eyes fixed on that small, red dot in the distance.  
Home… Home sweet home… One day, he'll be home again.  
A red headed woman popped up in his head, but he tried to push it away. But that wasn't easy. And Modo realized he was far more gone than he'd thought in the first place. Oh momma… What was gonna happen next? He didn't knew. But he knew one thing. And that was that he was gonna go back home one day and take care of his nephew. And the rest… Well, he could only hope it was gonna work out.  
But as long as he had his bro's, home wasn't that far away...

* * *

Pfiew, danger... falling mouse... :D  
And dammit, that was one intense part with Vinnie and Kiwi. Love it. They fit so well together.  
Oh, and L. Villareal; Rimfire was the exact reason I skipped Bleu Cheese Bros. Because I thought Modo could use some family love after the whole Flo drama. :)  
Good guess :D

Puhlease review :)  
And thanks for reading my story!

Ride free, citizens! :)


	29. Chapter 28

You guys, thank you so much for the reviews!  
L. Villareal; thank you for your kind words, they made me smile. It's true I'm very committed to my story. Writing helps me to deal with stuff, so I write almost every free minute I have. And it also gives me so much joy to see people reading it and even enjoying reading it. That's why the reviews mean so much to me. Not because I only want to hear my story is good for myself, but that people like it. That they, just like me, get sucked into this imaginary world and enjoy being there.  
DinoDragonMaster: I'm not sure if Harley's gonna come back into this story. For now, I don't have plans for it. And more sexual action for Throttle; well, that's only possible if his Carbine and he are on the same planet. But just stay with me. There will be moments they'll be together.

Anyway, on to the next chapter.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty eight**

A few weeks past. Rimfire had returned to Mars. They'd been able to keep radio contact almost the whole trip, but when he came closer to Mars, Rimfire had noticed the frequency was getting worse, so he had said his final goodbye. They assumed he made it back to their home planet. The weeks after that nothing really special happened. They just had a lot of lazy days, mostly at the lake. Spring had begun and they enjoined the warmth of the sun after the cold winter. Modo was feeling a lot better, mainly because of the visit of his nephew. It somehow gave him back his fighting spirit. It reminded him that there were still things to fight for. His bro's. His planet. His nephew. Himself.  
Flo was still there in his head, but it slowly sunk to the background of his mind. Well actually, he had to admit, Flo was being pushed away by a red headed woman with the most beautiful black eyes. Ruby was in his head, every day, every hour, every minute. He tried to forget about her, but that wasn't easy. And he was wondering when he was gonna see her again, but till now, they only had seen her if one of them was wounded. He didn't want to request the gods, but oh momma… He just wished he could see her again. And after weeks of torturing himself, he almost started to think about making a plan to crash his bike against a building or something like that. But he knew that was crazy. But still…

Kiwi had noticed the big fella was thinking about something. But she had no clue what it was. They were sitting on their private spot at the beach and Kiwi was secretly studying Modo between her eyelashes. She was lying on her back, and the gray furred giant was sitting across her. He was busy with polishing a part of his bike, the same spot, over and over again. He had this small smile around his lips and he was staring in the distance.  
Kiwi suddenly realized something and she needed to stop herself from jerking upright. He looked like someone in love. But who in the world… Ah.  
A smile curled her lips.  
"Hey guys… I was thinking. Maybe I can invite Ruby for dinner this week? You know, to thank her for everything she did for us?", she asked nonchalant, her eyes closed.  
She heard Modo breath in sharply.  
Bingo.  
"Yeah, great idea, babe", Throttle answered, who was also lying in the sun.  
"Hmmm…", Vinnie agreed lazy, half asleep. He was lying on his belly, his tail softly wrapped around her ankle. He wasn't that physical touchy in public, most of the time that is, but somehow, he always needed to have contact with her. Mostly he used his tail for it. It was cute, really.  
Kiwi peeked through her lashes again. Modo was obviously looking for words, a blush on his cheeks.  
"What about you, big fella? You think it's a good idea?", she asked, a mischievous smile on her face.  
Modo looked at her and nodded.  
"Eh, I-I eh… yeah! Sure it is, Kiwi ma'am", he stuttered.  
Kiwi nodded.  
"Cool. I will call her when we get home."  
Vinnie opened one eye and glanced at Modo. But soon, he lost interest and closed his eye again.  
Throttle was also glancing at his older bro.  
Hmmm..  
He looked over at Kiwi and saw a very satisfied look on her face.  
Double hmmm…  
He decided to let it slip for now. Maybe he was seeing ghosts. But he had the nagging feeling he wasn't.

Three days later. Saturday. Ruby had accepted the invite and tonight was the night. Modo was nervous as hell and even cleaned his metal arm. In secret, of course. He didn't want his bro's to find out he was feeling this way. Especially Vinnie. Oh momma, he would never hear the end of it. He looked into the mirror that was hanging in his room. He had showered and his fur was shining like snow in the sun. He was wearing his most neat biker jeans and had decided to put on a shirt. That would take the attention away from his metal arm. He'd changed it for like, five times now, but now, looking in the mirror, he made his final decision. He looked kinda good, actually. He just hoped nobody was gonna ask him why he was wearing a shirt all of a sudden.. But then again, why was it weird to dress up for a dinner with friends?  
He took a deep breath and left his room. He saw Vinnie hanging on the couch, wearing only his sweatpants, zapping listless through the channels. Honestly, that mouse was a real piece of work. If he wasn't having one of his temper tantrums, he was lazy as fuck. Two complete opposites.  
Throttle was sitting on the other couch, still reading the journals from Professor Milestone. He noticed his tan furred bro was also wearing a t-shirt.  
Throttle looked up from the journal he was reading when he heard Modo enter the small living room.  
"Looking good, big fella", he said friendly.  
"Thanks, Throttle. You too…"  
Vinnie was still staring at the tv, not interested at all.  
Modo sighed and grabbed a pillow. He threw it against the white furred mouse his head.  
"Hey man! What gives?", Vinnie yelled outraged when he fell off the couch with a loud bang because of the hard throw of Modo.  
"Get dressed. You can't join dinner with two ladies in only your sweatpants, bro."  
Vinnie jumped at his feet.  
"What is…", but he trailed off when he looked at Modo.  
"Why are you wearing a shirt?", he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.  
Modo sighed. This was exactly he'd hoped that wasn't gonna happen. But of course, Vinnie had to say something about it.  
"Like I said; we're having dinner with two ladies. The least we can do is dress a little descent this time."  
"The big guy is right, Vincent", Throttle joined Modo.  
Vinnie opened his mouth, but Modo quickly cut him off.  
"I don't wanna hear it. Get. Dressed. Now."  
"And don't even think about keeping this pants on", Throttle warned his younger bro.  
Vinnie threw his hands into the air in frustration.  
"Ah MAN!", he snorted and he stamped to his room, softly muttering under his breath. The paragon of a child that needed to do something against his will.  
Throttle and Modo smiled at each other. That's Vinnie for ya. But Modo was glad Throttle was on the same page. Now it wasn't so obvious he was doing his best for Ruby alone.  
A few moments later, Vinnie came outta his room, wearing his black baggy biker jeans and a taupe coloured sweater. He sat down on the couch to put on his shoes, still softly cursing to himself. Modo and Throttle ignored him.  
"Ready?", Throttle asked when Vinnie was done with his shoes.  
Modo nodded.  
"Yeah."  
They both looked at Vinnie, who crossed his arms before his chest. But then he sighed.  
"Alright, alright. Let's go."

They walked to the house and when they opened the kitchen door, a delicious smell filled their noses. The normally plain kitchen table was transformed into a table that you normally only saw in restaurants. A beautiful red tablecloth covered the wooden table, with shiny tableware the mice hadn't seen before. Candles completed the picture. Kiwi was standing by the oven, a apron over her red dress. Her normally wild hair was tamed into a long fishtail braid and she even was wearing heels, which made her legs even look longer and thinner. Vinnie's mouth fell open for a moment, but he quickly recovered. Kiwi turned around to look at him and her mouth also fell open. Even if his clothing was casual, it did look so good on him. He winked at her and gave her that crooked, arrogant smile of his. She smiled back, a little blush on her cheeks.  
"Looking good, sweetheart", Vinnie said casually, strolling over to her. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.  
She held him for a moment, but then untangled herself.  
"You too, macho mouse. Now, get outta my way, before you burn yourself at the oven", she said lovingly. She looked at his bro's.  
"You two are also looking good."  
"Thanks, Kiwi ma'am. You too", Modo answered.  
Throttle agreed.  
"Yeah, babe. What he said."  
Kiwi snickered and she opened the oven. She looked inside and nodded satisfied. She closed the door again and set the timer at five minutes.  
Before she could say something, the doorbell rang.  
"Since when does she use the bell? Normally, she just marches in...", Vinnie asked, slightly nervous to be with Ruby in the same room.  
Kiwi punched him on the arm.  
"Yeah, that's because she normally only comes over if one of you are in danger, crazy mouse. Now, get the door."  
Vinnie wanted to protest, but Modo was quicker.  
"I'll go get it", he said, trying to sound casual and he quickly left the kitchen.  
He took a deep breath and opened the door. And there she was. Finally, after all these weeks… And she looked even more beautiful than in his mind. She was wearing a short, black dress that lay accent on her curves. Her red hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her makeup was spotless. Her black eyes glittered in the dark and she gave him a dazzling smile. Modo just stared at her for a moment. She was tall, he now noticed. With heels, her head came to his shoulder.  
"Are you gonna let me in, or...?", she asked, blunt as always.  
Modo quickly recovered himself. Oh momma… He was so not good at this.  
"Yeah, of course. Sorry, Ruby ma'am. Please, come in!", and he stepped outta her way. She walked in and turned around.  
"Don't call me ma'am. I know I'm not that young anymore, but calling me ma'am makes me feel like I'm a wrinkled elderly."  
Modo laughed.  
"Okay, point taken. You look very good, Ruby ma… EH, Ruby!", he stuttered.  
Ruby smiled at him.  
"Thank you. You aren't looking that bad yourself. Well, where is that awful good smell coming from?" and she walked to the kitchen, followed by Modo.  
Kiwi and Throttle greeted her warmly, Vinnie kept his distance and only gave her a shy smile. He was embarrassed, Kiwi realised. Even if that was completely unnecessary, she could understand why he was feeling that way. Ruby had seen him on his most vulnerable. And where he normally would impress new people with his ego and charms, he couldn't use that on Ruby. And that made him feel… insecure.  
Kiwi sighed. Her poor, damaged macho mouse. She quickly squeezed in his hand, to let him know he wasn't alone. He wrapped his tail around her wrist and squeezed back, without letting Ruby outta his sight. Next to his insecurity, the girl was also a doctor. Double reason for him to stay away from her. But Kiwi knew he would come around eventually. This kinda things just cost time.

A few minutes later, everybody except Kiwi was sitting at the table, drinking root beer. Well, the mice did. Ruby was drinking a glass of wine. Kiwi set a steaming oven dish on the table. Vinnie looked at it curiously.  
"What is it, sweetheart?"  
"This, my friends, is a hotdog deluxe!", she exclaimed proudly.  
"Very creative", Ruby smiled.  
When everybody had their portion, it was silent for a moment. They all were tasting the food and Kiwi was looking at them with expectancy.  
"And?"  
"Hmmmm, I like it, sweetheart, I like it", Vinnie mumbled with his mouth full, winking at her.  
The rest couldn't agree more.  
"So. I must say, I'm curious how three big mice, riding on motorcycles and coming from Mars ended up on Earth", Ruby said, taking a sib from her whine.  
"Well, it's a long story…", Modo started.  
"I think I can keep up and we do have the time. This time, nobody's bleeding to death or… ahum. You know", and she looked meaningful at Vinnie, who cringed and a blush appeared on his cheeks.  
Kiwi gave Ruby a warning look and the red headed woman nodded at her.  
Throttle cleared his throat.  
"Well, it all started with the Plutarkians invading Mars…" and he told her the whole story.  
How it all begun on Mars, how they crashed on Earth, how they met Kiwi, Limburger, their adventures…  
For the first time Kiwi had met her, Ruby looked impressed.  
"Interesting story", she said eventually. Throttle nodded slowly, still not sure what to think about this woman. But she wasn't a bad person. She had helped them multiple times now. But the only time he had heard her being friendly, was with Vinnie when he needed to give blood.  
"So, what's your story?", he asked.  
Ruby looked at him with her black eyes, a distant look in it.  
"Not that interesting as yours. I grew up in Chicago, became a doctor, worked for the army a few years and now I'm working in the hospital."  
Kiwi bit on her lower lip. Ruby may be her friend, but she never spoke about herself. And she was wondering why.  
There was a silence for a moment. Then, Throttle decided to push her a little further.  
"Come on, that can't be it. There's gotta be more to it."  
Ruby narrowed her eyes.  
"Well, no, there isn't."  
Vinnie opened his mouth, but again, Modo was quicker.  
"She obviously doesn't wanna talk about it, bro's. Let it go."  
Ruby gave him a small nod. He nodded back, a little smile on his lips.  
Throttle sighed. He now knew he didn't see ghosts. His bro was in love. It was obvious. Well, to him. Another woman who was about to be dragged into their lives, their war. Another woman who was gonna be in danger because of them. And another bro whose heart would break if they needed to go back to Mars. This was getting more complicated by the day.  
Kiwi felt the tension rising. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all… She loved Ruby, but she was acting weird, alright.  
"So, ehm… How was it to work for the army?", she asked, not knowing how to break this tension.  
"It was alright. It payed good. But also a lot of misery. Almost every man I treated was the same damaged wrack as your white furred friend over there…"  
Vinnie had enough. He jumped at his feet and leaned forward over the table, his eyes fuming.  
"What's with the judging, doll? You think I chose to be like that? And here I was, thought outta all the people, you would understand!", he said, his voice shaky.  
Modo also jumped at his feet and pulled back his younger bro.  
"Easy, Vin."  
But Vinnie yanked himself free.  
"I'm done. Thanks for dinner, sweetheart", and he walked outside, closing the door with a bang.  
Kiwi stared at Ruby. The latter suddenly rose at her feet.  
"I'm… I'm sorry. I… god, I… I should go. Thanks for dinner, Kiwi. Really appreciate it. I…eh… yeah….", she stuttered and she quickly left the kitchen.  
Modo followed her.  
"I'll walk you to your car, Ruby."  
But Ruby shook her head.  
"No need. Thanks", but this time, Modo didn't let her get away this easily. Something was clearly bothering her and he was determined to find out.  
"I insist", and he opened the front door. Ruby sighed and walked outside, followed by Modo. When they were standing by her car, she looked up at him.  
"Please, tell your friend I'm sorry, okay? I just… I'm sorry. Thanks for... "  
"Do you wanna talk about it?", Modo asked, gently taking her hand.  
Her gaze lowered and she stared at their hands. Modo thought she was finally gonna open up, give him something to understand why she was acting like this, but she suddenly changed her mind. She pulled back her hand and stepped into her car. Without saying a word, she started it and drove away.  
Modo sighed and watched her leaving Kiwi's property. This didn't worked out like he hoped it would. He slowly turned around and walked back into the house.

When he came into the kitchen, Throttle and Kiwi were still sitting at the table. Throttle looked up at him.  
"You okay, big fella?"  
Modo shrugged and also sat down. Kiwi sighed and stood up.  
"I'm gonna go check on Vinnie." And she left the kitchen.  
"Talk to me, bro. You know you can."  
Modo took a deep breath.  
"I think I… I dunno… I'm feeling something for her, bro. I think I'm in love with her…"  
"I figured. Well, you can't fight your own feelings. But the lady sure has issues…"

"I know. And instead of running away, I only feel more attracted to her. She obviously is dealing with something. And I wanna help her…But I don't think she is gonna let me help her..."

Throttle sighed and patted Modo on the back. Poor guy.

"Things aren't lost yet, big fella. Just give her some time."  
Modo nodded. He knew how his tan furred bro felt about them loving human women. But he still was there for him and Modo appreciated that so much.  
Oh momma… was he ever gonna find love again?

Meanwhile, Kiwi walked into the guesthouse and found Vinnie on the couch, staring at the TV.  
"Hey you", she said, walking over to him.  
"Hey yourself", he smiled at her. He turned off the TV and Kiwi sat down next to him on the couch.  
"You okay?", she whispered.  
Vinnie shrugged.  
"I'm fine. I just didn't like her attitude, that's all."  
Kiwi knew there was more to it, but she knew not to push him. It would only work the opposite way.  
"I don't know what's wrong with her. Something is clearly bothering her…"  
"Clearly", Vinnie snorted.  
"I'm sorry."  
"You're sor... sweetheart, come on… This isn't your fault..."  
"No, but she's my friend. And this dinner was my idea…"  
"So? You never asked her to be such a bitch, right?"  
"No, but still... "  
Vinnie pulled her in his arms and she lay down, her head on his chest.  
"I think Modo's in love with her…", she whispered.  
Vinnie breathed in sharply.  
"Really? Hmmm… interesting…"  
Kiwi lifted her head and gave him a warning look.  
"You are not gonna make fun of him, you hear me? The poor guy is dealing with enough shit right now."  
"Whoa, someone is on fire today. No sweat, sweetheart. I'll be on my best behaviour…" and he chuckled.  
"Yeah, well, I've seen your best behaviour…", Kiwi snorted. "I mean it, Vin. Leave him alone."  
"Okay, okay. For now."  
"Guess that's good enough…"

That night, everybody was fast asleep when Kiwi's phone rang. Since the mice were sleeping in the guesthouse, they didn't hear it. Kiwi did. She moaned and pulled the blanket over her head, hoping this would make it stop. It dit. She sighed happily and was almost back to sleep, when the phone rang again. She turned around and searched for her phone with her eyes still closed. Her fingers finally felt the happy ringing and buzzing object.  
"Hellooo-ooooo", she yawned, still half asleep.  
"Kiwi, it's me."  
"Ruby, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?", Kiwi asked, still not fully awake yet.  
"Listen, I'm outside town and I'm scared…"  
Kiwi suddenly heard how shaky her friends voice was and her eyes flew open. She sat upright, rubbing her hair.  
"Ruby, what's wrong? Where are you?"  
"Outside town, on expressway 290… Kiwi, I'm scared, I think somebody is following me…"  
"What are you talking about?", Kiwi asked confused.  
"Listen, I know my behaviour at dinner was awful, but I didn't knew who to call… Can you please come, I… AAAHH!"  
Kiwi held the phone away from her ear for a moment because of the sudden scream.  
"Ruby? Ruby, are you okay? Ruby, what's happening?", but after some weird, scraping sounds, the connection broke.  
"Shit!"  
Kiwi jumped outta bed, quickly pulled on some clothes and ran to the guest house.  
She burst inside Vinnie's room. The white furred mouse was lying on his belly, deeply asleep, but when she wanted to wake him, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She managed to keep the scream inside, but she whirled around with her eyes wide open.  
"Don't wake him up", Throttle warned her. Kiwi stared at him.  
"W-w… what?"  
"Waking up a soldier with a trauma can be dangerous. What's wrong?"  
"It's Ruby, she is in trouble, we need to help her!" and she quickly told what happened on the phone.  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Hmmm… Something fishy is going on here."  
He gently pushed Kiwi outta the way and walked over to Vinnie.  
"Vincent, wake up…"  
The white furred mouse moaned and turned around, the top of his tail twitching.  
"We don't have time for this, Vin. Wake up!" and Throttle shook him roughly.  
Vinnie's eyes flew open and his tail lashed through the air. Throttle tried to dodge it, but he was too late. The white tail slapped him in the face, knocking his glasses of his nose. Throttle stumbled backwards, rubbing his face. Vinnie was now on his feet at the other side of the bed, ready to fight, but then he saw Kiwi and he fully woke up. His eyes, at first wide open, closed a little and his lips curled into that smile she loved so much.  
"Hey sweetheart…"  
"Ehm… Hey…" Kiwi was still a little confused about what just had happened here. She now understood why Throttle didn't want her to wake up his younger bro.  
Vinnie looked at Throttle, who was searching for his glasses. The white furred mouse quickly jumped over the bed and grabbed the glasses that were lying in the corner. He just couldn't stand it to see his bro and leader this vulnerable, blind as a cave rat, searching for the one thing that confirmed he was still their fearless leader.  
"Here, bro", and he gave the glasses to Throttle.  
The tan furred mouse quickly put them on and smacked Vinnie against the back of his head.  
"Honestly, Vin, one day…", he growled annoyed.  
Vinnie smiled innocently with a blush on his cheek.  
"Yeah, ehm… sorry… Anyway, why are you guys interrupting my beautysleep?"  
"Ruby's in danger. We need to go, now", Kiwi said shortly, now suddenly remembering how scared her friend had sound on the phone.  
"I'll wake up Modo", Throttle said and he quickly left the room.  
Vinnie quickly dressed while Kiwi told him what happened. He heard the fear in her voice and he quickly walked over to her and pulled her against him.  
"No sweat, sweetheart. This is standard hero work. We'll get her back."  
Kiwi sniffed up his scent and nodded against his chest.  
"I know…"  
After a few minutes, they were ready to go. Vinnie tried to convince Kiwi it was safer for her to stay here, but she didn't want to hear it.  
"Ruby is my friend. I'm not gonna let her down", she said with a determined look on her face, climbing behind Vinnie on his bike.  
Vinnie snickered. His lady sure knew what she wanted.  
"Alright, let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

When they were outside town, they took the expressway 290. Throttle yawned.  
"Man, the expressway is so quiet… You wouldn't even know it was there…"  
The words just had left his mouth, when they suddenly saw the road just stopped. They hit the brakes and with shrieking tires, they stopped on the edge.  
"Wow! Is this real highway robbery?", Vinnie asked, looking down.  
The road was just… gone… A deep crater was all that was left. Kiwi narrowed her eyes. Something was definitely wrong here.  
"Or did we just woke up in Southern California?", Modo asked sheepishly.  
Vinnie looked up at his gray furred bro and smiled, while shaking his head.  
Throttle opened his visor and sniffed.  
"Guys… This got the smell of stinkfish all over it…"  
Modo looked at the ground and saw his foot was standing in a small pool of grease.  
"Yeah, with the side odeur of Greasepit…"  
"Well, let's get this road on the show, bro's", Throttle said, revving his bike.  
Vinnie smiled way too happy when he closed his visor.  
"Ooehhh, down and dirty!"  
Kiwi knew what was gonna happen and she clung to Vinnie. They revved their bikes and jumped down, landing on a sandroad below. They followed it for a while, but suddenly…  
"Uh oh. Speed trap!", Modo said, pointing at two buggies with goons in front of them.  
"Hit it, bro's! Full force!", Throttle ordered and weapons came out of their bikes.  
Kiwi wrapped her arms a little tighter around Vinnie and he quickly wrapped his tail around her waist and squeezed softly, to let her know things were gonna be okay. She smiled. Next to the big ego and masochism, he was such a cute guy.  
But the buggies speeded up and flew around a corner. The mice followed them.  
"You know… my mousie intuition tells me this is some sort of a…" but Vinnie trailed off and his eyes grew big. A little further ahead, he saw a tow truck. And hanging on the crane was Ruby. Upside down, wrapped in ropes and a bandana around her mouth.  
They stopped right in front of her.  
"Absolutely impressing, Vincent", Throttle complimented his bro, looking at Ruby. "No worries, Ruby, babe. We know bait when we see it."  
"And lucky for you, we just love traps!", Vinnie added and he shot the rope with his gun.  
Modo quickly jumped off his bike and grabbed Ruby before she could hit the ground. She looked up at him in fear and he gave her a reassuring smile.  
Kiwi wanted to jump off Vinnie's bike, but Vinnie stopped her.  
"Ah, ah, ah, sweetheart. Stay in your seat, we're about to get a inspiring speech", and he pointed up.  
Kiwi followed his finger and she saw Limburger standing on one of the cliffs. She suddenly felt anger. That hideous slimy stinkfish. Using her friend as bait. But there was nothing she could do now. So, she remained on her seat.  
"Ooohhh, my offense is ranking smells to heaven! Hamlet scene three", Limburger smiled and he pushed a button on a remote, laughing his villain laugh.  
A huge explosion and the road that was above them, was now coming down.  
"Great luck at twelve o'clock, bro's…", Throttle sighed,  
"The pavement is about to pound back!", Vinnie added.  
Modo quickly mounted his bike, setting Ruby behind him, still tied up. But there was no time now.  
They fired their laser, blowing up the stones that came down. It caused enough dust for a distraction to make a hasty retreat. It was time to find Greasepit.

They quickly found him, riding a weird vehicle. It actually looked like a big vacuum cleaner. It sucked up the road at the front and at the back, it got transported to space.  
"End of the road, drip stick", Throttle warned the oil dripping minion when they were close.  
"We advise you to get off at this exit…", Modo continued.  
"Yeah, before you have a serious break down…", Vinnie smiled.  
"Like this!", and Modo shot two rockets. Greasepit ducked and the rockets flew over his head.  
"Haha! Missed me, Biker Mice!", he laughed.  
The rockets bounced against the pillars that were holding the highway that was still standing.  
"And the fun ain't over till the fat man sings…", Greasepit said, grabbing his phone.  
"FIRE, you stupid pig, FIRE!", they heard Limburger's voice coming out of the phone.  
"Ahh, just the high note I was waiting for", Greasepit laughed and drove towards the mice.  
But they didn't move and watched how Greasepit slowly came closer.  
Vinnie looked at Modo.  
"Are you sure you figured those angles right, Modo?"  
Modo gave him a smug smile, his arms crossed before his chest.  
"Hey! Bumper Pool is my game!"  
And he was right. The two rockets bounced a couple of times against the pillars again before they made their way back and the whole machine exploded. Greasepit flew into the air, screaming for his mother.  
The road came back outta space and the mice cheered when they saw Limburger flying the scene, with Greasepit on the roof of the purple limousine. They jumped in the air and high fived.  
"Great job, guys!", Kiwi smiled, but then she suddenly remembered Ruby. The poor woman was still tied up, sitting on the back of Modo's bike. She jumped off and ran over to her. She pulled on the ropes, but it was no use.  
Suddenly, Vinnie gently pushed her aside.  
"Let me, sweetheart", and he lit a flair. He carefully burned the ropes and stepped back. "Voila."  
Ruby, now able to move her hands, pulled down the bandana.  
"Thanks, guys."  
"No problemo. We're heroes! Saving damsels in distress is just part of the job", Vinnie smiled, but he suddenly remembered what she had said to him. "Even if the damsel is quit bitchy sometimes…", he added, his voice cold as ice and his tail twitching.  
"BRO! A little respect", Modo called out, but Ruby held up her hand.  
"He's right. I deserved that. I acted like a bitch. I'm sorry."  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes at first, but then, he relaxed and gave her a small nod.  
"Let's go home, guys. Ruby, you come with us too. It's not safe to be alone right now and I really wanna know why you were out here all alone, in the middle of the night…", Kiwi said, climbing behind Vinnie.  
"Fine by me", Ruby agreed tiredly.  
The mice popped a wheelie and they drove back home.

Ruby dropped on the couch. Throttle studied her face. She didn't look like the woman they knew at all. Her self assurance was completely gone and she never had looked this tired.  
Modo sat down next to her, giving her a glass of water. She gave him a grateful look and drank the glass empty. Modo gently took it out of her hands and set it on the small table next to him. Vinnie and Kiwi were sitting on the other couch, Throttle on the big chair.  
Kiwi was also surprised by Ruby's appearance. In the time they knew each other now, she had never looked this defeated. Something's wrong.  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, keeping a close eye on Ruby, still not at ease.  
"So, care to share what is going on, Ruby?", Kiwi finally asked, after a long silence.  
Ruby sighed.  
"I was upset when I left here. I wanted to go home, but decided to take a little detour. You know, to clear my head. But then I noticed someone followed me and well, you know what happened after that…"  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes. For the first time ever, Ruby wasn't telling the whole truth. There was absolutely more to it. That combined with how the red headed woman had behaved during dinner… Something was eating her.  
"Okay, and now the whole truth, if you don't mind?", she asked, a little irritated.  
Ruby flinched for a moment, but quickly recovered herself. But everybody had seen it.  
"This is the whole truth."  
"No, it's not", Throttle joined Kiwi. He also had noticed the woman was holding something back.  
"It is!", Ruby suddenly called out, her eyes fuming. She wanted to stand up, but Modo gently took her hand and pulled her back on the couch.  
"Ruby ma… Ruby. We're not the enemy. And you were there for us when we needed you. You saved my life. The least we can do is be there for you as well… Please... We… I wanna help you…"  
Vinnie saw all this and decided Kiwi was right. His bro was in love. Deeply. It did took him eleven years, but now the door to his heart was open, he totally went for it. First Flo, now Ruby… Vinnie snickered, despite the whole situation. Who would've thought his older bro was such a womanizer?  
Ruby looked up at the gray furred giant and the friendly look on his face did it. She broke into tears. The tough and always so cool Ruby broke. Modo hesitated, but then, slowly swung an arm around her shoulders. He was afraid she was gonna reject him, but she didn't. She leaned against him. Tears dripped on his fur and rolled down. He just held her, softly rubbing her back.  
There was a long silence. Vinnie was clearly having a hard time to keep his patience, Throttle was deep in thoughts and Kiwi just stared in shock at the woman in Modo's arms. Who was she? What happened to the Ruby she knew? But then again, everybody was vulnerable at some point in their lives, even the mice were, even if they were tough soldiers. But Ruby always was so… strong. To see her like this, broke her heart a little. But strangely, she had a bad feeling about this and suspicion slowly started to cloud her mind. Somehow, something was horribly wrong. But she couldn't lay a finger on it.  
Ruby slowly calmed down a little and pulled back from Modo's embrace. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mascara had made black lines on her face. Her hair was a mess, but it was the look in her eyes that took Kiwi off guard. Pure despair. Regret. Fear.  
That's it.  
"Ruby, I wanna know what is going on. Right now. Something is wrong, really wrong, I can tell. Please, tell me everything you know…"  
Ruby fiddled with her fingers, but then, she made a decision. She took a few deep breaths and when she started talking, her normally strong voice was now shaky and raw.\  
"I eh… I… God, I don't know where to start…"  
Big tears rolled over her cheeks again.  
"When I heard that voice, I… I realised I heard it before... "  
Kiwi shook her head in confusion.  
"What voice?"  
Ruby looked at Modo for a second and he gave her a reassuring smile. She looked back at Kiwi and took a deep breath.  
"Limburger. I think he's the one who killed your parents…"

* * *

SAY WHAT? Oh dear, where is Ruby talking about?  
Well, guess we'll find out in the next chapter ;)

Puhlease review and thank you for reading my story!

Later!


	30. Chapter 29

Thanks for the reviews!  
I'm sorry for the spelling errors, I had a rough week and that immediately backfires on my concentration. I do the best I can.  
And thanks for saying my English is getting better. Writing in English almost every day helps a lot :) But I still have enough to learn.

You guys are asking me if there'll be more Martians coming to Earth soon, but if I'll stick at the original story line, that isn't gonna happen till I get to "Seeds of Victory."  
But I can also skip a few episodes, if that's what you guys want? Or I can change the order, and use episodes randomly. I already can tell I skip the "clip show" episodes. They're nice, but that's not gonna work for my story. Anyway, just let me know, alright? Maybe I can work something out for you guys.

Okay, like Vinnie would say; enough with the talking. Next chapter! Enjoy ^^

* * *

 **Chapter twenty nine**

There was a deadly silence. Vinnie shared a worried look with Throttle. Kiwi was staring at Ruby with her mouth open and Modo also shared a look with his bro's.  
"What… What the hell are you talking about?", Kiwi whispered when she finally found her voice again. "My parents died because of a accident…"  
She just hoped Ruby was gonna laugh outta embarrassment now. That she would stutter she was wrong. But she didn't. She had this look in her eyes, full with… pity? Kiwi suddenly jumped at her feet.  
"Tell me what you now, NOW!", she demanded.  
Vinnie quickly grabbed her and pulled her back on the couch. Kiwi let him, but her eyes were fixed on Ruby.  
"It wasn't an accident. Well, they made it look like one, but it wasn't. I'm so sorry, Kiwi…"  
"How do you know this?"  
"Because I used to work with your father…"  
Kiwi fell silent again. This wasn't making any sense.  
Throttle intervened.  
"Tell us everything you know. If there is another story to her parents death, Kiwi deserves to know…"  
Ruby looked at him and nodded.  
"I know. It's a long story, I…", but Throttle interrupted her.  
"I think we can keep up. And for now, Limburger is licking his wounds, so we have time."  
"I told you guys I work in a hospital. That was a lie. I am a doctor, but I work for the government…"  
As soon as the words came outta her mouth, Throttle jumped at his feet.  
"Out. Now."  
Modo and Vinnie also jumped at their feet. Vinnie because he was with Throttle, but Modo to protect Ruby.  
"Throttle, please, listen. If she wanted to sell us out, she already had done it, right? Come on, bro, think about it", the gray furred giant pleaded.  
Throttle shook his head.  
"I'm done with taking any risk. I want her gone."  
Ruby shook her head, her hands before her body.  
"Please, you don't understand. Your secret is safe with me, I promise you!"  
"I don't believe you. Now, please, get out…"  
"Or we'll do it for you. And not very gentle…", Vinnie warned her.  
Modo opened his mouth, but it was Kiwi who jumped in the middle.  
"Everybody SHUT UP! This is my house. And I decide who's welcome or not. You guys seem to forget about something and that is she knows something about my parents! Something I don't and I really wanna hear it. So, everybody SIT DOWN, shut up and let HER TALK!"  
She looked around her, breathing heavily. It has been a long time since she got this mad. But this was ridiculous. The only woman she trusted, she'd considered as her friend, was all of a sudden a person she didn't know. And she wasn't gonna leave this house till the whole truth was revealed.  
The mice shared a look, but then Throttle nodded. They sat down again.  
Ruby let out her breath.  
"It's not what you think, Throttle. I work for a secret department that's called the Shadow Hunters, a.k. SH. And please, do know we're the good guys. I'm the doctor there, because everything that happens there, every mission, is classified. So, a normal hospital is out of the question…"  
"What has this to do with my father?", Kiwi snapped at her.  
"He was one of the best agents the SH had…"  
"Wait a minute, are you telling me my father was a secret agent?"

Kiwi felt her stomach turn. Jesus, what the fuck? She always thought he was the owner of a big business in town. But he lied. Of course he did. But… what? This was a lot to take in.  
"Well, sorta. I can imagine you now think he was some kinda James Bond, but it wasn't like that. He worked behind the scenes. He collected information by using his immense talent with computers. Guess the apple didn't land that far away from the tree in that case..."  
"Did my mother know all this?", Kiwi demanded, ignoring the last comment.  
"No. Nobody is allowed to tell anyone, not even their loved ones. The Shadow Hunters are after the most dangerous criminals, the ones who lives in the shadows. Some of them are publicly known, but not for who they really are. They use it as a cover. So, nothing can jeopardize SH's missions. It's too dangerous…"  
Kiwi didn't know what to say. She was just staring at Ruby, while a thousand emotions were whirling inside of her.  
"Listen, I know this is a lot to take in. But your father told me, right before he died, he was onto something. Something very big."  
"So you think he was after Limburger?", Throttle asked. Kiwi was still in shock.  
"Yeah. But back then, I had no idea. He let me listen to this tape where somebody was talking about some weird stuff. I can't even remember it, back then it didn't sounded that important to me.. I was busy, I just… Well, I thought; we can talk about this later. But later never came and I forgot. But then, I heard his voice today and my heart just stopped. I immediately recognized it as the the voice on the tape."  
"But what about the rest of the SH? Aren't they after him now?", Modo asked.  
"No, because till today I didn't had a clue it could be him who was behind the accident... Like I said, I wasn't really listening back then, and well… The SH dismissed the case, there wasn't enough proof that the accident in reality was murder… Well, they did know it wasn't a accident. But all the trails had a dead end. They never found out who's behind it."

While Throttle and Ruby were talking, Vinnie was studying Kiwi. He wasn't sure what was going on in her head and the fact that she was just staring at Ruby, her eyes wide open and her breathing heavily, made him somehow nervous. Like she was gonna explode, but he didn't knew when and there was nothing he could do to stop it.  
He slowly raised his hand and touched her shoulder. She didn't react and Vinnie could feel her muscles vibrate under his hand. She was on edge, alright.  
"Sweetheart…", he started, but oh, there it was. The explosion.  
Kiwi jumped at her feet and quickly grabbed Vinnie's gun outta his leg holster.  
"I'm gonna kill him", she said, her voice toneless.  
Everybody jumped at their feet. When Throttle wanted to stop her, she yanked herself free.  
"Stay away from me!", she yelled. Tears filled her eyes, but she roughly wiped them away.  
Everybody backed down, except Vinnie. When she wanted to walk to the door, he suddenly was standing in front of her.  
He had to admit, it was tempting to go with her. To just plant a bullet between that stinkfish's eyes. But someone very important had learned him that wasn't the solution. Killing someone cold blooded didn't make you any better than the enemy. Of course, people had died because of him. On the battlefield. Collateral damage. But that was different. And he could know that. He'd killed someone once, a long time ago. He'd thought it was gonna make him feel better. But revenge doesn't do that. It only makes you feel worse. Worse about yourself. And Stoker learned him there were different ways.  
"Sweetheart, give me the gun", he said softly, holding up his hand.  
But Kiwi shook her head.  
"No. Now, get outta my way."  
But now Vinnie shook his head.  
"No dice, doll."  
Kiwi switched the safety pin and aimed the gun at Vinnie. Everybody breathed in sharply. But Vinnie didn't even flinch.  
"Are you really gonna shoot me? Because that's what's it gonna take if you wanna leave this house…", he warned her with a dangerously low voice.  
He knew she wasn't herself right now. She just snapped. He could understand her anger. Hell, he sometimes felt the same anger when he saw Limburger, or any other Plutarkian. But he also knew anger is poison. It consumes you. It turns you into a person you always vowed you'd never be.  
"Vinnie, please, get outta my way… He killed my parents! HE NEEDS TO DIE! Pay for what he did!", Kiwi yelled hysteric.  
She waved with the gun to bring strength to her words. Not that that was necessary. The look on her face said it all. She aimed the gun again, this time with her finger on the trigger. Tears were streaming over her face. Her hands were shaking and she looked like she was gonna faint. But she remained on her feet, be it wobbling.  
Vinnie took a deep breath. Time to be honest. To be vulnerable. Ugh. But she needed him.  
"Listen to me, sweetheart. I know how you're feeling. And I know how tempting it is to let the anger take over. I know you think that will be the only way to deal with this immense pain… To let it be pushed away by anger. But it's not gonna make you feel any better. Killing Limburger is not gonna bring back your parents. It's not gonna take away this pain… War can turn you into a murderer easily. It's as easy as snapping your fingers, trust me, I know.. But I don't want that for you… Please… It'll destroy you, sweetheart."

Throttle and Modo shared a quick look. They knew exactly what their younger bro meant. But hearing him speak up like this, well… it still was a rare thing. And he was obviously talking about something he never told them. But now wasn't the time.  
Kiwi stared at him, her lower lip trembling. Vinnie did a few steps forward, but she didn't move.  
"Put down the gun, Kiwi."  
He said her name.  
The gun clattered on the floor and Kiwi collapsed. Vinnie caught her and pulled her against him.  
"Shhh, it's okay, sweetheart. I'm here. I'll always be here…"  
Kiwi held him tightly and cried so hard, she almost choked. She opened her mouth and let out a scream in pain.  
Vinnie flattened his ears and just held her tightly. But Kiwi was hysterical. The pain was too much. Losing her parents was devastating. And she somehow had find a way to live with it. But clearly, she had pushed away her pain. And knowing they got killed, just ripped open everything she so carefully had buried and the pain was immense. Unbearable.  
Ruby looked at Modo and Throttle.  
"Do you guys still trust me?", she asked.  
Both of the mice nodded. Ruby quickly grabbed her bag. She filled a syringe with sedatives and slowly approached the couple that was sitting on the floor.  
When Vinnie saw her, his fur bristled. And when he saw the needle…  
But Throttle quicky kneeled down next to him and lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's okay, Vin. But Kiwi needs to calm down. And Ruby is gonna help her with that. There's only that much a person can handle, right? This is too much for her now. You understand?"  
Vinnie took a deep breath and nodded. Ruby quickly pushed the needle in Kiwi's neck.  
The poor girl didn't even notice. Ruby backed away, just like Throttle.

Slowly, Kiwi's crying became less heavy. Her shaking muscles slowly relaxed. And soon, she was out like a light. Vinnie let out his breath.  
Dammit.  
He gently wiped away the tears of Kiwi's face and stared at her for a moment. She was just so beautiful. Her face, now fully relaxed. Her skin, soft as a peach. Her lashes glued together because of her tears. Her full and soft lips, standing a little open. He slowly lifted her and lay her on the couch.  
"So, now what?", he asked, looking around the group.  
Throttle looked at Ruby, who was still sitting on the floor.  
"Do you have any evidence it was indeed Limburger who killed Kiwi's parents?"  
Ruby stared at the floor and slowly shook her head.  
"No, but he fits the profile, right? He was onto Limburger and a few days later, he's dead. Research pointed out there was more to it, but they couldn't find enough evidence, so they closed the case. If I only had thought about it back then…"  
Modo slowly walked over to her and kneeled down next to her.  
"This isn't your fault, Ruby. You did what you had to do, and that was taking care of Kiwi."  
Ruby looked up and his friendly face touched her deeply. She bit her lower lip and gave a small nod. She tried to stop it, but a big yawn escaped her mouth.  
Modo smiled.  
"Why don't you go grab some rest in my room? I'll sleep on the couch."  
Ruby sighed. She was obviously not at ease, but too tired to argue.  
"Yeah, sounds like a plan."  
Modo gently helped her up and looked at Throttle, who was still standing a little lost next to Vinnie, who was sitting on the floor next to the couch where Kiwi was lying.  
"I guess it's for the best if we all get some rest", Modo said meaningful.  
Throttle nodded.  
"You're right, big fella. Nothing we can do right now…"  
The tan furred mouse looked at Vinnie, who had hard expression on his face.  
"Nothing we can do? Right. I say; let's pay Limburger a visit and ask him, polity of course, what's the story…"  
Throttle shook his head.  
"No dice. We will ask, but not tonight, Vincent. And you need to get your shit together before we'll go. You're obviously way too upset right now and we all know what happens when you're upset. Things blow up. Get Kiwi upstairs and sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. But no worries, you'll get your action."  
Vinnie wanted to protest, but Throttle gave him such a warning look, he backed down. He lifted Kiwi off the couch and without saying a word, he left the living room.  
Ruby stared at Vinnie till he was outta sight. Modo saw it.  
"Don't worry, Ruby ma… EH, Ruby. He'll come around. He's just very protective when it comes to Kiwi…"  
"Yeah, but that's exactly what she needs. He's good for her", Ruby said softly. Even if the mice brought a lot of baggage with them, they were good for Kiwi. And Kiwi was good for them, she could tell.  
"I never thought I'd say this out loud, but you're right. He's good for her. And she is good for him…", Throttle said with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Alright, let's catch some z's, bro and ma'am."  
They walked to the guesthouse and Throttle waved absently at Modo and Ruby when he walked into his bedroom.  
Modo sighed and Ruby looked up at him.  
"What's wrong?"  
"He's just got too many things to think about. But guess that's part of being a leader. Come on, I'll show you my room."

A few minutes later, Modo was standing in the doorway, a little lost. Ruby was standing close by the bed and also looked a little uncomfortable.  
Modo took a deep breath.  
"Well, eh… good night, Ruby ma… Ruby. If you need anything, you can find me on the couch…" and he gave her one last friendly smile before he turned around. He somehow felt sad, he just didn't know how to handle being in love. It was too long ago. He had mourned for Cami for so long…  
"Modo, wait…"  
His heart skipped a beat and he slowly turned around. Ruby was standing in front of him.  
"I'm… I just wanna say; thank you. For being so kind to me. Especially after that horrible dinner."  
Modo blushed and shuffled with his feet.  
"No problem. I eh… yeah, well... ", he stuttered.  
Ruby smiled and gave him a hug. "Good night", she whispered in his ear and she gave him a kiss on his cheek. She slowly made herself loose and closed the door with a soft click.  
Modo was staring at the door, and slowly, a smile curled his lips. He raised his hand and touched his cheek. Oh momma… What a woman.

Meanwhile, Vinnie was lying next to Kiwi in bed, holding her tightly. His hand rubbed the soft skin on her arm, his tail was loosely wrapped around her ankle. His nose was buried in her hair and he was almost asleep, when he suddenly felt her muscles tensing. He gave her some space and leaned on his elbow to look at her.  
She moaned and opened her eyes.  
"Hey sweetheart. Welcome back in the land of the living", he said with a smile.  
Kiwi looked up at him, at his crooked and also arrogant smile. But the smile didn't reach his eyes. Oh god. What had she done?  
"Vinnie… I'm so sorry I aimed a gun at you, I would never…", she whispered, but Vinnie softly lay a finger on her lips.  
"No sweat, sweetheart. You ain't the first and definitely not the last. I just somehow seem to annoy people sometimes…", he chuckled lightly.  
"Geez, I wonder why…", Kiwi said with a small smile around her lips. But it soon faded.  
"Thank you. For stopping me. You're right. Killing him isn't gonna bring them back. But… God, the anger I felt… I never felt anything like that before. If it wasn't for you, I would've killed him."  
Vinnie's finger slowly followed the contours of her face.  
"Not to bring you down, doll, but you probably would've been dead before you even could enter the building. Security is high and you're no soldier. But I must say, you do look good with a gun in your hands…" and he softly bit in her ear.  
Kiwi breathed in sharply. The pain was still there. But the anger was gone. Well, sorta… It was summering under the surface. But she had back control. And now, desire was slowly filling her veins. She suddenly remembered Ruby.  
"I need to talk to Ruby, I…", and she tried to get upright, but Vinnie gently stopped her.  
"Everybody's asleep, pretty lady. Tomorrow, you can talk to her. And I promise you this; we'll get the answers you need. But just not tonight…"  
His low voice gave her goosebumps. She looked up at him and the look in his eyes took her off guard. He was upset too. But as always, he put on his mask and played the happy note. She couldn't blame him. Sometimes pushing your pain away was better than to let it all in. It happened to her this night, and it was too much for a person to handle. And she knew if she was gonna ask right now, he wasn't gonna tell her. He was obviously not in the mood. Well, not that kinda mood...  
"Why do I have the feeling you're up to something?", she asked casually.  
Vinnie smirked.  
"Because I am, sweetheart…"  
His voice.  
Oh god.  
But before she could react, he already was on top of her and his mouth claimed hers. She kissed him back eagerly. This was exactly what she needed right now. And he knew that. So, she completely surrendered to him.

The next day, the mice were on their way to Limburger. They had left Kiwi behind and Ruby had left for work after breakfast. She'd promised she was gonna try to find some information about Limburger. Maybe she could find some answers.  
They drove around a corner and suddenly saw something weird.  
"Since this ain't Italy…", Modo started, pointing at the building in the distance.  
"Then that can't be the leaning tower of Pisa…", Vinnie added.  
Throttle looked at the building that was leaning forward.  
"Guess asking questions have to wait for now. Time for a little sightseeing, bro's."  
They hit the accelerator and when they came closer, they saw a big machine standing in front of the building. It was anchored to the ground and four ropes came out. The ends were attached at the building and it was slowly pulling it down. Goons were standing around the machine and when they spotted the mice, they opened fire.  
Cannons popped out of their bikes and the mice returned fire, shooting all the guns outta the hands of the goons.  
"Check the chains, Vincent", Throttle ordered.  
Vinnie grabbed his gun outta his leg holster, whirled it around his finger and shot the ropes that were holding the building. The whole construction landed back on the floor again with a loud bang.  
They drove further, but trucks that were parked next to the building, suddenly opened and big guns came out.  
"Okay, bro's, time for a booster shot!", Throttle ordered.  
"Yeah, before we're blown outta proportion", Vinnie smiled and after popping a wheelie, they fired their jets and jumped into the air. The guns fired, but only hit each other and they all exploded. The explosion was huge and the flames followed the mice up. Modo suddenly felt the heat and stood on his footrest, leaning forward to avoid the flames.  
"WOW! This really burns my behind!"  
Vinnie chuckled and when they were out of the flames it's path, he pushed a button on his bike. So did his bro's and big wings came outta both sides of their bikes. They whirled around each other, slowly going back down.  
"It's tail whippin' time", Vinnie cheered, lashing his tail like a whip and the clapping sound echoed through the air.  
"We've gotta save the encore for later, Vincent. I'm afraid there's a more pressing matter to deal with", and Throttle pointed down.  
The goons had attached new ropes at the building and were continuing the job they were doing before the mice had joined the scene.  
Vinnie sighed, but nodded. He and Throttle flew down and when they were close to the ground, they approached the building from the side that was pulled down. They shot the windows and flew through the building. When they came out the other side, they fired ropes outta the back of their bikes. The hooks slammed into the stone and they quickly landed, pulling back.

In the meantime, Modo landed on the ground at the other side and shot the new ropes. He quickly joined his bro's and with the three of them, they managed to get the building back up. They hit the brakes and high fived. But victory was short and goons came driving towards them in buggies. But before they could react, the goons suddenly crashed into each other. Another buggy flew over the mice and they followed it with their eyes till it crashed against a building.  
"What the…", Vinnie started confused, but he needed to duck when another goon was flying over them. It was chaos.  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Hmmm… I think it's time we need to learn more about this new game of Limburger…"  
"Yeah, this is weird, alright…", Modo agreed, looking at the mess in front of them.  
"Cut loose, bro's. Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

When they were at LP, they found a empty window cleaners cart. You know, that small cart that is hanging on only four ropes. And it looked like the owners were having a break. They were nowhere to be seen. A perfect way to spy on Limburger. The mice jumped aboard and Throttle pushed the button. The cart slowly made his way up and stopped right before the window of Limburger's office.  
"Look busy, fella's", Throttle warned his bro's.  
Vinnie was making the mop he had in his hands wet in a bucket of water.  
"Just what I always wanted… a window seat into stench central!"  
They started to clean the window, looking inside at the same time. Weird things were happening there. They saw Greasepit wearing a Limburger suit and… what the...  
"Greasepit in a suit? And Limburger in a maids uniform? Aaooww, those dirty devils", Vinnie snickered.  
They saw Greasepit ordering Limburger around and shook their heads in confusion.  
"Greasepit is calling the shots…", Vinnie said in disbelief, looking at his bro's.  
"Oh momma, no wonder nothing's making sense", Modo chuckled.  
"Well, let's drop in and pay our disrespects!", Throttle smiled, but before they could do that, Greasepit was playing with something and suddenly, laser flew out. It was just a stupid coincidence. But dammit, talk about bad timing. The laser broke the window and two of the ropes that was holding the cart. The cart was now loose at one side and the mice slid down.  
"Waaoooww!"  
"Woow, mommaaa!"  
They fell down and quickly whistled on their fingers. Their bikes revved their engines and drove under them. The mice landed smoothly in the seats and put on their helmets.  
"Come on, let's go remove that missing link of the chain of command", Modo said.  
"Yeah! That greasy gorilla nearly left me with a broken head!", Vinnie agreed.  
"I hear ya, bro's. Let's ride!"

They fired their jets and drove up. They broke through another window (of course, they are the Biker Mice From Mars and where's the fun in using the window that was already broken, right?) and stopped with shrieking brakes.  
"Alright, Greasepit, end of the line", Throttle warned the oil dripping guy.  
"AAAOOWW, mighty Martian Mice to save the day!", Vinnie sung happily.  
Greasepit quickly held up his hands and Limburger looked smugly at the mice.  
"Ahh, so kind of you to drop in, vermin", and he pushed a button on a remote. A big cage came outta the floor and trapped the mice.  
"Hey!"  
"Dammit. And that after such a great entrance…", Vinnie pouted.  
"Good work, Limburger!", a voice suddenly echoed through the building.  
Throttle followed the sound and saw the big, ugly face of the High Chairman on a screen that was hanging on the wall.  
"Since it is you who captured the Biker Mice, I hereby put you back in your position. And you, Greasepit… you are hereby permanently promoted back to your old position."  
"Promoted? Geez, thanks! I should call my mom…", Greasepit smiled.  
"Oh, thank you. Thank you!", Limburger gasped and the High Chairman broke the connection.  
The mice looked at each other. Throttle nodded at Vinnie, who grabbed a flair. He lit it and quickly cut through the bars. Since Limburger wasn't the leader when he made this plan, he probably hadn't the time nor the money to use a cage of Plutarkian steel. The mice broke outta the cage and Limburger screamed in rage. But Throttle grabbed him by the uniform.  
"Talk fast, blubber but. What did you do to Kiwi's parents?"  
Limburger stared at him, a blank expression on his face.  
"If you don't mind me asking, my dear boy… But who is Kiwi?"  
Throttle shook him roughly.  
"You know damn well who she is. You killed her parents and made it look like a accident. Does that ring any bells?"  
But the face of Limburger remained blank. And Throttle already knew that the fish did a lot of things, but this one not. He was always way too proud about the things that did succeed.  
"I'm so sorry to inform you that I really have no idea what you're talking about, you repulsive rodent. Now, let me go! And I do insist..."  
Throttle looked at his bro's, not impressed by Limburgers weak threat.  
"He's telling the truth, bro's…"  
Modo and Vinnie shared a quick look and nodded. They jumped on their bikes and Modo quickly grabbed Greasepit.  
He and Throttle drove to one of the broken windows and let Greasepit and Limburger hanging outside. They both screamed in fear.  
"Don't you just love living on the edge?", Vinnie chuckled.  
"Let me go, NOW!", Limburger yelled, looking down.  
"Put me down, you lunatic furballs!", Greasepit cried.  
"Well, since you ask so nicely…", Modo smiled and he and Throttle let the villains loose. They fell down and landed in the fountain.  
"Hahahaaa, nice landing", Modo laughed.  
"Yeah! Now, let's trash this dump! I can use a big bang as happy end, bro's", Vinnie said, looking with big puppy eyes at Throttle, who shook his head with a smile..  
"Alright, alright, I hear ya. Let's do this!"  
"AAAOOOWWW! You just know what I love!", the white furred mouse cheered in pure joy, finally able to blow something up.  
"Yeah, well, it ain't that hard", Throttle chuckled.  
They revved their bikes and cannons popped out. They drove towards the open window and shot rockets outta the back of their bikes, Vinnie the biggest, of course. They made a hasty retreat and when they flew over Limburger, they waved at him. Limburger waved back dazed, still lying in the fountain, but then, the explosion took his attention.  
"Oh no… not again…", he sighed, tears streaming over his face. But of course, the whole building came down.  
The mice cheered and started their journey home. After the first excitement ebbed away, Vinnie suddenly could use his brains again, since it wasn't overwhelmed with adrenaline anymore.  
"But if it wasn't Limburger who killed Kiwi's parents, who did?", he asked at Throttle, who was rubbing his chin.  
"I dunno, but I have the feeling we won't like the answer…"  
They drove for a while, but suddenly, Throttle hit the brakes. His bro's did the same, a confused look on their faces. Throttle looked at them, and the worry in his eyes hit them.  
"We need to call Ruby. NOW!"  
"Throttle, what…", Modo started, but Throttle grabbed him by the arm.  
"Think about it, big fella. Maybe it wasn't Limburger himself, but it has his stench all over it. Someone didn't want that Kiwi's father was gonna find out about him. And that can only mean…"  
Modo breathed in sharply.  
"The government."  
"Bingo. And that means if they find out that Ruby's digging for the big cheese…"  
"Oh momma… We need to reach her. But I don't have her number…"  
"Kiwi does", Vinnie said, revving his bike. "Let's ride!"  
They sped away. There was only one thought that was repeating in Modo's head over and over again.  
What if they're too late?

 _Earlier that day, after breakfast…_

Kiwi looked at Ruby, who was getting ready to go to work. They hadn't spoke about what had happened yesterday. Ruby only had told the mice she was gonna do some digging at work. But Kiwi still had so many questions. And she felt really bad about her reaction. She'd lost control and that fact scared her.  
"Ruby? I eh… I'm sorry I lost it, yesterday… It wasn't fair to project my anger on you…"  
Ruby stopped with what she was doing and sighed. She sat down at the dinner table again and looked at Kiwi.  
"You don't have to apologize. It was my fault. I never should've said it that bluntly. But I was upset and shocked, same as you. When I heard that voice, my mind just made the puzzle complete…"  
"Why did you never told me you knew my father? You knew him, you knew… you knew all along it wasn't a accident, but you never told me…"  
"I couldn't. I signed for total confidentiality."  
"But why telling me now?"  
"I just… I suddenly thought you had the right to know. I just couldn't lie to you anymore. You invited me for dinner, you're being a real friend to me and I was lying to your face. I couldn't take it anymore. You deserve better…"  
"Is that why you were so... different at dinner?"  
"One of the reasons, yes. My whole life I live in secret. When people ask me what I do, or ask me about my life, I always lie. And usually, I have no problem with that. I mean, I knew the consequences when I signed for the job. But lying to you, your friends… It made me feel sick to the stomach. I just wanted to be honest, just for one time, you know?"  
"Yeah… I think I understand. So ehm… you weren't my doctor, back then? When we met that horrible day?"  
Ruby suddenly grabbed her hand. It was such a weird move for the normally distant woman. But Kiwi now knew why she always kept her distance. It was safer. So nobody could find out about her secret.  
"When I heard that your father… god, my heart broke. The thought alone that you were gonna end up alone, of in a foster home, or whatever… There was nothing I could've done to save your father, but the least I could do was take care of his only child. His daughter, who he loved so much. His little princess. So, I rushed to the hospital, just ignored the doctor that was on duty that night and that's how it all started."  
Kiwi's eyes filled with tears and she looked at the red headed woman.  
"I'm so glad you did. Thanks to you, I'm still alive. Thanks to you, I had the time to meet the mice. To meet Vinnie…"  
"You really love him, do you?" She noticed Kiwi's eyes began to shine and she smiled.  
"Yeah, I do. Is that weird? You know, since he's not human?", Kiwi suddenly asked worried.  
But Ruby waved her worries away.  
"No. Love is about connection. Trust. Respect. It goes deeper than just the outside. It doesn't matter how someone looks like. Love always finds a way."  
Kiwi stared at her.  
"Wauw, that's deep…", she giggled.  
Ruby looked at her and also started laughing.  
"Yeah, shit. Don't know where that came from. But it's true, though."  
"Yeah, it is…"  
"He's good for you. I'm glad you met him. You're stronger now. You handle things way better than you used to. I'm so proud of you."  
"Thanks… Are you okay, Ruby?"  
Ruby looked up a little surprised when she heard that question. But she didn't have to lie anymore. The fact the truth was out now, meant their relationship could deepen now.  
"Yeah, I am now. Look, it's all a mess, but I… I'm glad I can be honest with you now. And that you forgave me."  
"I never said I forgave you", Kiwi said with a teasing smile.  
"You don't need to. I just know. I really need to go to work now. I know you still have so many questions, and I will tell you everything you want to know, but I really can't be late at work. Thanks for everything. Thank the mice for me too. They really are something special."  
"I know right. I still have one question, though… Why did you attacked Vinnie about his PTSS? You know, during dinner? That awful dinner."  
"It wasn't my intention. I just was so on edge and he was a easy target, I guess… But it wasn't fair. He said he thought I would understand. And I do. I never meant to judge him. But I did. And that was wrong…"  
"Are you sure there isn't more to it?", Kiwi asked, studying her friends face.  
But Ruby shook her head.  
"Not now. I really need to go now. We'll talk later, okay? If I find something, I'll call ya."  
"Sure thing. Stay safe, Ruby. You're also on Limburgers radar now. So, well… Just be careful."  
"I will."  
And she left the house, leaving Kiwi behind with her thoughts. God. Losing her parents was so hard. But she always had thought it was an accident. That helped sometimes, you know. Just to think that these things do happen, no matter how shitty it is. But knowing there might be someone responsible for her pain, well… It was indeed very tempting to let the anger take over. But she heard Vinnie's words in her head. And she trusted him. Of course he knew. He already had so many losses in his life. She could only learn from him how to deal with this.

 _Present_

"Kiwi? Kiwi, where are you?"  
Modo's voice. Filled with panic. Kiwi ran towards the garage, but the mice already walked towards her.  
"Jesus, what's wrong?", Kiwi asked when she saw the looks on their faces. Especially Modo's.  
"We'll explain later, sweetheart, but right now, we need to call Ruby", Vinnie said to her and she just stared at him.  
"What? I don't…", but Modo interrupted her.  
"Kiwi, there's no time right now. Give me your phone."  
Wow. Someone was on edge, alright. He'd never spoken to her like that before. But she did what he asked and handed over her phone. Vinnie gave her a reassuring smile before he focussed on Modo. The gray furred giant tried to find Ruby's number, but his hands were shaking.  
"God dammit, give me that", Kiwi snapped at him and she snatched the phone back. Their tensed attitude made her nervous as hell. She quickly searched Ruby's number and pressed on 'call', while putting it on speaker. But after waiting for a while, it switched on to voicemail.

 _'This is the voicemail of Ruby. I'm obviously not picking up my phone, so leave a message after the beep. Maybe I'll call you back. Maybe I don't._ '  
 ***BEEP***

Kiwi looked at the mice. Modo cleared his throat.  
"Ruby, it's Modo. Please call me back. It's urgent. It's about Limburger."  
He nodded at Kiwi and she broke the connection.  
"What is going on, guys?"  
"We found out it wasn't Limburger who killed your parents."  
"Okay… How is that?"  
"We just asked him, very polity of course", Vinnie winked at her.  
Kiwi looked at him with disbelief.  
"And you believed him?"  
"Yeah, he's never gonna lie about something like that. He's too proud for that. He fails so many times, he wants to have credit for the things that succeed", Throttle explained to her.  
"Okay… This still doesn't make any sense guys…"  
"We have reasons to believe the government was behind the accident. Someone obviously wanted to stop him from going after Limburger. And it isn't the first time that Plutarkians use money to get what they want."  
Kiwi breathed in sharply.  
"You mean my own government killed my parents? Because they are bribed by some Plutarkian?!"  
"Eh, yeah. Guess that's a good and short summary", Throttle nodded.  
"Oh my god. I can't believe this. And if Ruby's gonna dig around, she's in danger too!"  
Throttle nodded.  
"My own government? What the fuck? Jesus, I… This is some fucked up shit, I can't even… FUCK!", Kiwi suddenly screamed.  
She paced around, stuttering to herself. The mice followed her with worried eyes. But when Vinnie opened his mouth, she suddenly turned to face them. Her eyes were fuming and she pointed her finger at them.  
"Let me tell you this. If you guys are going back to Mars, I'm going with ya and that's final. You said Earth is my home. But it isn't. Not anymore. You hear me? I'm not gonna live in a country, no, on a fucking planet where the government sells out their own people, ONE OF THEIR OWN, FOR FUCK SAKE, to save a fucking alien who is obviously insane."  
She was breathing heavily and Vinnie, who still had his mouth open, closed it. He looked at Throttle. It was him after all who was having problems with her going with them. He wasn't. Not at all. If that was what she wanted, he wasn't gonna complain.  
The tan furred mouse was speechless for a moment and they all knew that didn't happen fast. Finally, he opened his mouth.  
"Okay."  
That's all he said. But that's all she needed to hear. She lowered her hand.  
"Good. Now I got that outta my system, we need to find a way to contact Ruby, before it's too late…"

* * *

Oh my dear holy mother of Mars, looks like the Plutarkians are having their hands dugged deep into Earth already. Deeper than the mice had thought in the first place. Their influence is now already reaching the government. Let's just hope they're gonna be on time to stop Ruby.

Anywayzzz, thanks for reading and puhlease review! :)

Later!


	31. Chapter 30

You guys, thanks for the reviews!

Yeah, Kiwi can be feisty, alright ;)  
And okay, I'm just gonna stick to the story line :)  
I promise, there'll be more Martians later on in the story. :D

Right, let's continue :D

* * *

 **Chapter thirty**

"God dammit, Ruby, PICK UP!", Kiwi cursed loudly when she got voicemail, again, for like the twentieth time now.  
Vinnie lay a hand on her shoulder to calm her nerves. Kiwi looked desperate up at him.  
"What if we're too late?", she whispered in fear.  
Vinnie shrugged.  
"We don't know that yet, sweetheart."  
"I just wish I knew where she works…", Modo sighed.  
"Yeah, well… It's a secret department of the government. No way we're gonna find it", Throttle said, his ears twitching.  
Everybody was on edge. They had no idea how to reach Ruby if she wasn't gonna pick up her phone.  
"Maybe I should go to the City Hall and just ask…", Kiwi mused.  
"Sweetheart, honestly… Even for a smart girl like yourself, this is the most stupid thing I ever heard ya say. You just gonna walk in and ask about the most classified department in Chicago? What do ya think they're gonna say; Oh sure, ma'am, just down the hallway, first door at ya right?", Vinnie chuckled, shaking his head.  
Kiwi's head jerked up and she was about to retort, but then she realized how stupid it was indeed and she smiled with a blush on her cheeks.  
"Yeah, okay… Point taken."  
Modo suddenly jumped at his feet.  
"Oh momma, all this waiting just drives me crazy. I'm gonna go look for her."  
But before he could walk away, Throttle stopped him.  
"And where are you gonna look? We have absolutely no idea where she is right now…"  
"I know, but I can't just sit here and do nothing", Modo said, his low voice shaky.  
"Big fella, I understand your concern, but there's nothing more that we can do right now…"  
The tension rose. Everybody was on edge, especially Modo. The gray furred giant opened his mouth…

 ***RING RING***

Kiwi almost threw her phone in the air because of the sudden sound. She quickly looked at the screen.  
"It's Ruby! Thank god…" and she picked up.  
"Ruby! Finally we…", but before she could say anything further, Throttle snatched the phone outta her hands.  
"HEY!", Kiwi called out startled and confused.  
But Throttle only gave her a apologizing smile and held the phone by his big ear.  
"Ruby, it's Throttle. Is this line secured?"  
Ah. Right. Kiwi had to admit, she never thought about asking. Guess that's the difference between soldiers and citizens.  
"Throttle? Yeah, it is. What the hell is going on?"  
"Listen to me, it's very important you're not gonna dig for Limburger at your work, you hear me?"  
"Eh, yeah, I hear you loud and clear. Care to share what's going on?"  
"Not over the phone. Please tell me you haven't started yet?"  
"God, who do you think I am, some sort of super woman? I have work to do, you know. I don't have the time to sit on my ass and read old and dusty files all day. These kinda things cost time. Gosh, and I thought you were the smartest of the three."  
Throttle smiled. That's Ruby for ya.  
"Copy that. Abort the mission, alright?"  
"Yes sir", she answered sarcastic, but then her voice softened.  
"How's Kiwi?"  
"She's fine, giving everything that's happening. Why don't you come over tonight, so we can explain everything?", Throttle asked, meanwhile glancing at his gray furred bro. His whole face lit up when he heard Throttle saying those words.  
"Are you asking me for another dinner?"  
"Eh…", Throttle hesitation, and looked one more time at Modo before he continued. "Actually, Modo is…"  
There was a silence for a moment.  
Modo's eyes grew big and a blush was clearly visible under his gray fur. Throttle gave him a reassuring smile.  
"Okay. Let's just do it over. But tell Kiwi no fuzz this time, okay?"  
"Yeah, sure. See ya tonight."  
Without responding, Ruby hung op.  
"Throttle, I can't believe you've just said that, bro…", Modo said, still blushing and looking very uncomfortable.  
"HA! Someone is love, alright!", Vinnie snickered.  
Throttle chuckled.  
"Modo… Bro… I dunno how to say this friendly, so let me just say it. If we have to wait till you finally find the courage to ask her out…"  
"We'll all be old and wrinkled and you can call Ruby 'ma'am' all day", Vinnie finished with a big smile. "You really need a little practise, bro."  
Kiwi giggled. The look on Modo's face was just priceless. Throttle smiled too. Even if he still had a little trouble in accepting his bro's being with a human girl, he'd decided to let it go. They deserved to be happy. Let's just see where it goes.  
"Alright, you lummoxes. Leave the big fella alone", Kiwi said quickly when Vinnie opened his mouth again. She figured he had enough for now.  
"I'm gonna go do some groceries for tonight. You guys hold the fort and please, don't break anything", she warned, looking at the white furred mouse, who looked back innocently.  
"What? I never break things…", but he flinched when he saw her warning look. "Well, not on purpose, that is…"  
Kiwi shook her head. Honestly. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and left the house.  
The bro's looked at each other.  
"Well, now we have the house for ourselves…", Vinnie started.  
"Let's watch the ballgame!", his bro's finished and they dropped on the couch, cheering loud.

"So, you're saying we can't even try to figure out who's behind the accident that killed Kiwi's parents, because it's too dangerous?", Ruby asked.  
They were sitting in the kitchen, eating hot dogs and drinking root beer. No fuzz.  
"That's right", Throttle nodded. "If they find out someone is digging, you'll be the next having a 'accident', babe."  
Ruby looked at Kiwi.  
"And you agree with this?", she asked, somehow having a hard time believing that.  
But Kiwi nodded.  
"Yeah, don't really have a choice, now do I? I don't wanna lose you too. And like someone very wise told me, killing someone isn't gonna bring them back", and she winked at Vinnie, who blushed.  
"Yeah, that may be true, but still… You just gonna let them get away with it?"  
"It's not gonna make any difference, I guess… Things just are the way the are…", Kiwi said slowly, but doubt was clearly hearable in her voice.  
Vinnie heard it. And he somehow got the feeling this whole thing was gonna get a follow up. Later on. When the anger was gonna come back, after summering for a while. But time would tell. He just needed to keep a close eye on her.  
"Kiwi is right, babe. It's too dangerous. And it's not gonna change anything…", Throttle said, looking at Kiwi, who nodded at him.  
"Okay…", Ruby said slowly, clearly not convinced. But she decided to let it go for now.  
"So, Ruby ma… RUBY. How was your day at work?", Modo asked, polite as always.  
Kiwi quickly took a bite from her hot dog to hide her smile.  
Ruby stared at Modo, clearly still having no idea how to deal with this gray furred creature.  
"Eh, good. I guess… Thanks…"  
Modo smiled at her and she smiled back, although a little hesitant. Kiwi studied the red headed woman. She was clearly not at ease. And that was weird, giving the fact she was always so… steady. Maybe she was feeling something too, just like Modo. That would be so cool.  
Ruby cleared her throat and looked at Vinnie.  
"Listen, bouncing ball, I'm sorry for the way I talked to you last time. It wasn't my intention to judge you, but I did. And for what it's worth, I do understand you."  
Vinnie stared at her for a moment, but then a blush appeared on his cheeks. He fiddled with his fingers under the table and shrugged.  
"It's okay…", he said softly.  
Kiwi almost melted. Dammit, he could be so cute sometimes. Behind all the bravado, there was this shy, insecure guy that had no idea how to handle this kinda situations. Gosh, it was touchy.  
Ruby sighed, rubbing her belly.  
"I'm gonna explode if I'm gonna eat one more hot dog. Honestly, how is it you guys can eat this all day?" But before anyone could say something, she already shook her head. "Don't answer that."  
She rose on her feet.  
"I'm gonna go home. I'm exhausted. Thanks for dinner, Kiwi. This time, it was nice."  
Kiwi wanted to get up, but Ruby was quicker.  
"Stay where you are, I know the way out. Have a good night, gentlemice. You too, Kiwi."  
And she walked away. Modo was sitting a little lost at the table, clearly battling with himself what to do.  
Vinnie sighed exaggeratedly.  
"Honestly, Modo… go after her."  
Modo jumped at his feet and quickly followed the red headed woman. She was already outside and he ran after her.  
"Ruby! Ruby, wait!", he yelled and Ruby turned around, a questioning look on her face. Modo stopped in front of her, suddenly completely blacked out. Great idea, Vin. Now what?  
"What is it, big guy?"  
"I eh… Well… I…", he stuttered.  
Ruby smiled. Poor guy. She took a deep breath and grabbed him by the shirt (yes, he was wearing his shirt again for dinner). She pulled him closer and pressed her lips against his.  
He breathed in sharply, but soon recovered and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Very gentle. The feeling of her lips against his, her scent, the warmth of her body… It almost made him wanna cry. Finally. After all these years…  
She broke off the kiss and smiled.  
"I must say, I never thought kissing a mouse would be this good", and she winked at him. He smiled and let her go, feeling very uncomfortable. Ruby turned around and without saying a word, she drove away in her car, leaving Modo behind on the driveway, with a dazed smile on his face.  
Oh momma… What a woman.

A few days past in peace. Modo was clearly with his head elsewhere, and when they weren't talking to him, he was staring into space, still with that dazed smile. Throttle was happy for him, but was feeling slightly concerned what was gonna happen if they needed to get back into action. What if he was too distracted?  
At the same time, he was worried about Kiwi. She was just way too… relaxed. Given everything that had happened the past few days, like finding out that her parents were killed by the government… Her first reaction was the one he'd expected. Anger. But now… Throttle couldn't lay his finger on it.  
He'd tried to talk to Vinnie about it, but as always, the white furred mouse just waved it away. Honestly, having a normal conversation with that mouse was still impossible. Sometimes, he had these bright moments, but they were still rare. But Throttle knew his younger bro, sometimes even better than himself. And he'd seen in his eyes he was also concerned about his girl. So, Throttle decided to keep an close eye on her.

The sun was shining. Throttle was lying in the grass in the yard, his eyes closed and enjoying the warmth on his fur. Luckily, it wasn't summer yet. Then it would be way too hot to lie in the sun. Unlike Modo and Vinnie, his tan coloured fur was longer. And thicker. But for now, it was great.  
He was thinking about Carbine. Right before Rimfire took off back to Mars, he had gave him a letter. A letter he wrote for Carbine. He missed her. So much. Seeing his bro's in love wasn't making things easier. And having no contact at all with the love of his life, was making him feel frustrated and sad at the same time. But he tried to keep his head straight. He couldn't afford to get too distracted. If he was gonna make mistakes, there was a possibility his bro's would pay the price. And he would never forgive himself it that would happen.  
He peeked through his eyelids and saw Vinnie doing his exercises in the grass. Modo was busy with his bike. Throttle closed his eyes again.  
Ahhh… This was living.  
He slowly felt how sleep was clouding his mind and he just let it happen.  
But all of a sudden…  
"YIIAAOOOWW! Keep that thing away from me!"  
Throttle jerked upright and grabbed his gun. But when he saw what was wrong, he put it away with a big smile on his face and walked over to the scene.  
"What? Why? Look how cute he is!", Kiwi exclaimed and held up a black and white spotted kitten. "Come on, you're not gonna tell me you're scared of a cat? I mean, I get the whole cat and mouse thing, but I think this is not the same..."  
"No, no, no", Vinnie shook his head and scrambled backwards.  
Kiwi looked at Throttle, who smiled. He opened his mouth, but before he could explain...  
"Ha… Ha… Hatsjoe!"  
Vinnie sneezed, still walking backwards.  
Kiwi stared at him for a moment, but then she caught on.  
"You're not saying…"  
"Bingo, Kiwi ma'am", Modo smiled, who was stopping Vinnie.  
"You're allergic to cats?", she asked in disbelief.  
"Hey! Why're you saying it as if it's a weird thing? It's not like I… ha… ha… hatsjoe!"  
Vinnie sneezed again. And again. Kiwi just stared at him, the kitten still in her hands. The poor mouse just kept sneezing, his eyes were red and tears escaped through his lashes.  
"Ah… well, that sucks…", she eventually said.  
"Where did you find it?", Modo asked.  
"I spotted her in the bushes closeby. She was all alone, and I just thought… Well, I got enough space and… But clearly, this is outta the question. I will bring her back, maybe she wasn't alone after all…"  
Kiwi was clearly disappointed. But Vinnie's reaction wasn't a joke. This was not gonna work.  
"Sweetheart, get that thing outta here, please…", Vinnie managed to squeeze out with a nasal voice. His eyes were almost as red as his ruby red irises and his eyelids were so swollen, he could hardly keep them open.  
Kiwi finally landed back into the world of the living.  
"Oh my god, yeah, sure. Jesus, Vin, I'm sorry, I'm already gone!" and she quickly ran away, the kitten still in her hands.  
Vinnie quickly grabbed a bottle of water that was standing on the table and emptied it over his head. He rubbed his face, still sneezing.  
Throttle and Modo looked at each other, trying very hard to keep their faces in check. But it was no use and they burst out into laughter.  
Vinnie froze and opened one bloodshot red eye.  
"HEY! This isn't funny!", but his voice was still sounding weird and he sneezed again.  
Throttle and Modo were holding each other to avoid they were gonna collapse, since they laughed so hard.  
Vinnie shook his head in annoyance. Great. Just great. A kitten. God dammit. Why did he never tell her he was allergic? Jesus. Luckily, probably thanks to his quick Martian Mice healing system, the symptoms were already ebbing away. He took a few deep breaths. Ah. Better. He shook his wet head and opened his eyes, glaring at his bro's, who were still laughing.  
"Did you see the look on his face?", Modo rumbled, holding his belly.  
"Oh man, I wouldn't have missed it", Throttle chuckled.  
Okay. That's it. Enough is just enough.  
Vinnie clenched his teeth, launched himself at his bro's and tackled them in one movement, using his feet and tail at the same time. His bro's let out a surprised yell and Vinnie pushed them on the ground. But his bro's fought back and soon, a big ball of three rolling, big Martian Mice made his way through the garden.  
At that point, Kiwi came back and stopped in front of them. They stopped with what they were doing and smiled at her.  
"Oh, you're back already", Modo smiled.  
"Hey babe. We're just doing our… exercises. Yeah, that's it", Throttle quickly added, realizing how weird this must look, lying all over each other. His bro's smiled and they quickly untangled themself, so they could start their push ups.  
Kiwi giggled.  
"Honestly, you guys don't need to explain yourselfs. Vin, you okay?", she asked, looking at the wet face of the white furred mouse. But his eyes were almost back to it's normal color, and when he answered her, his voice sounded normal.  
"Ugh, yeah, I'm fine. Let's just forget about this whole thing, alright?"  
"Sure thing", Kiwi quickly said, smiling. "I'm sorry, by the way. If I knew…"  
"Yeah, yeah", and Vinnie quickly jumped at his feet and pulled her in his arms. Before she could say anything further, he claimed her mouth and gave her such a heated kiss, she could only stare at him when he broke it off. He winked at her, with that arrogant smile. He sure knew how to shut her up.  
His bro's, still lying on the floor, whooped. Kiwi's head turned into the colour of a fully grown tomato and she cleared her throat.  
"I eh… I got the mail, by the way…" and she held up a letter for Throttle and a cardboard tube.  
Vinnie snatched the tube outta her hands and Throttle the letter. It was from Carbine. But… how in the world is that even possible? She was on Mars. He was on Earth. How… Never mind. He couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and started reading.  
"Ah YEAH! It's finally here!", Vinnie cheered, opening the tube. A human sized poster fell out and Vinnie quickly unrolled it.  
Kiwi stared at it, looking at the huge photo of Vinnie. What the…  
Modo looked at it and laughed.  
"Why am I not surprised?"  
"All I had to do was sending one of my wallet sized pictures to this place advertising on the late show and VOILA!"  
Kiwi picked up the bill that was lying in the grass. Typical.  
"Voila? You just charged me with 53 bucks for this…", Kiwi said slowly, shaking her head.  
"Oops… Oh well, you just can't put a price tag on pure art, now can ya, sweetheart?" and he winked at her before looking at the big poster again, a admiring look on his face while looking at himself. Honestly…  
"Who could argue with logic like that? It's not too small, is it, Vinnie?", Kiwi asked, looking at the white furred mouse.  
"Hmmm", and Vinnie rubbed his chin. "A little. But hey, the wall is only so big. Gotta remember to stop by the frame store later…" and he rolled the poster back up and put it in his bike.  
Kiwi shook her head and looked at Throttle, who was done reading the letter. He carefully put it in his pocket. Kiwi opened her mouth to ask him about it, but then…  
A loud cracking sound took their attention. The ground was shaking for a moment, but after a loud bang, it stopped and silence dawned back on them. Throttle quickly looked at the road outside the fence and saw a big crater. What the…  
"Hey bro's. You two playing hammer tag outside again?"  
His bro's joined him.  
"WOW! Somebody stole the road…", Vinnie called out, but then he wrinkled his nose, realizing how stupid that sounded.  
"Yeah! And everything under it…", Modo added.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes.  
"Geez. I wonder who could be responsible…"  
"A certain land logged salmon comes to mind…", Vinnie said, rubbing his chin.  
"This is weird, alright. He normally need weeks to rebuild his tower... ", Throttle mused.  
"Yeah… Well, time to go dig up some answers", Modo said, putting on his helmet.  
His bro's followed his example, but Vinnie quickly kissed Kiwi before he did. Again, it was a passionate kiss and Kiwi just wished she could drag him with her to her room, but unfortunately; duty calls.  
"Stay safe, macho mouse", she whispered against his lips and he smiled arrogant, looking down at her.  
"No sweat, sweetheart. Mucho macho mammajammer hero stuff!" and he jumped at his bike.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

They drove to the city, but when they came around a corner, they bumped into a small army of goons, sitting in their buggies, blocking the road. The mice hit the brakes.  
"Looks like a unwelcoming committee, bro's", Modo said dryly.  
Throttle shrugged, grabbing his handlebars tightly. Vinnie was looking at him with a hopeful glance in his eyes.  
"So?", the tan furred mouse said, revving his bike. "Let's mangle them."  
Vinnie's smile almost split his face in half.  
"Party time!"  
They drove towards the goons, full speed, but the weirdest thing was that the goons didn't do anything. One of them was looking at his watch, the other one yawned…  
Suddenly, the ground started to shake and they heard that weird, scraping sound again. The road was starting to bubble like water in a hot tub and cracks became visible. The mice had a hard time to keep their bikes under control, but it was too late. The whole road under them just disappeared and they fell down into the deep crater.  
"Oh man!", Vinnie yelled, trying to fire his jets, but they already crashed on the ground and he flew off his bike. So did his bro's.  
Vinnie rubbed his helmeted head, his teeth clenched. Luckily, he wasn't wounded. They all knew what was gonna happen if he was wounded. His bro's seemed okay too. Good. Probably a big disappointment for Modo, since he was dying to see his Ruby again, but hey… There were more pressing matters to deal with right now. Like the army of goons, that was now standing on the edge of the crater, looking down with a smile on their faces and guns in their hands.  
"Hey, bro's! I'd say those hollow heads just got the drop on us", Throttle called out, stating the obvious. "Big time!"  
And the goons opened fire on them. The mice quickly jumped into the air, landed on their hands, pushed themselves up again and when they landed back on their feet, they grabbed their guns. Well, Vinnie and Throttle did. Modo raised his arm and they returned fire, aiming on the ground under the goons their feet. That worked and the goons fell down into the crater.  
Limburgers minions looked up at the three Martian Mice with blasters in their hand, who were looking back at them with a mischievous smile on their faces.  
"Geez. Three of us. Six of them", Modo smiled.  
"We got them outnumbered", Vinnie snickered.  
"I'd say; let's even the odds, shall we?", Throttle asked, looking at his bro's.  
They nodded and he and Vinnie threw their guns over their shoulder.  
Vinnie cracked his knuckles, smiling evilly at the goons. The latter were standing in fighting position, but when they saw the smile on Vinnie's face, their eyes grew big.  
"Uh oh…", one of them sighed.  
The mice launched themselves at the goons and all too soon, it was over.  
The mice flew outta the crater on their bikes, leaving the goons tied up behind.  
"AAAAOOOWW, pounded and bounded!", Vinnie cheered.  
"HAHA! Biker Mice style!", Modo laughed.  
They landed and pumped their fists into the air.  
"YEAH!"

"We're here in the old town area of Chicago, where archaeologists have determined that all these mysterious craters are actually millions of years old! And just moments ago, this peculiar artifact is found in one of the craters", the news lady said, looking in the camera.  
The bro's were watching from a safe distance at the object and used their helmets to zoom in. It looked like a helmet… with initials on it.  
"L.I.? That's Limburger Industries", Throttle said confused.  
"And that metal thing next to it looks just like…"  
"Greaspit's…", they said in unison.  
"Time to hit that old war path again, bro's", Throttle said.  
"All the way to the tower of sour", Vinnie smiled.  
"To lash some scaly hind!", Modo finished.  
They revved their bikes and drove to the tower, that was rebuilt. How Limburger had pulled that one of was a mystery, alright. But it wasn't top priority right now.  
When they were close, the ground started to shake again.  
"Ah man, not again!", Vinnie called out, trying to control his wobbling bike.  
"WOW! Heads up!", Modo yelled and they quickly fired their jets and flew away. Just on time, because another crater made a huge hole in the road.  
The mice landed a few meters away and stopped.  
"HA! I don't care for the race, but the track is kinda fun", Vinnie smiled.  
"Ya know, it looks a little bit quiet up there", Modo said, pointing up at LP.  
But the words just left his mouth when a camera spotted them. Hedges opened and more camara's came out, and they all opened fire on the mice.  
"Split and hit, bro'! HARD!", Throttle ordered and they did as he said.  
Modo took one side and blew up the shooting camera's by using his armcannon.  
Vinnie was in the mood for a more badass scene this time and when he turned his bike towards the lasers, he climbed on the seat while the bike drove full speed to the building. He grabbed two laser guns, one outta his leg holster, the other one outta the back of his pants and returned fire. The camera's blew up and Vinnie jumped into the air, preformed a perfect smooth somersault and landed on the seat again, cheering loudly.  
"Have I got style, or what? HAHAHA!"  
Throttle just fired the laser from his bike and when Vinnie and Modo joined him, they drove up and crashed through some walls and doors and came to a halt in the office of Limburger with shrieking brakes.  
Again, a camera opened fire and they dodged it, firing back at the same time and, of course, the poor camara didn't had a chance and exploded.  
Throttle looked around, but there was only silence.  
"All clear!", the tan furred mouse confirmed, putting away his gun.  
"We've been through the whole place and not a creature was stirred", Modo said, looking around him.  
"Not even a mouse. Mighty, Mickey, or Martian", Vinnie smiled, putting away his gun and pulling off his helmet.  
Throttle stepped off his bike and walked to the desk.  
"Well, I dunno… We must have missed something…", he said, looking into drawers. But then, a small control panel caught his eye. "Like this, maybe…" and he pushed the red button that was in it.  
A huge machine rose outta the floor.  
"Something tells me this thing is not exactly your average Plutarkian transporter", Modo said, looking at the machine.  
It did look a lot like a transporter, but it was so different at the same time.  
Throttle walked over to it, rubbing his chin. Then, he shrugged and pulled a lever. The image of a dino appeared on the small screen in the control panel.  
"Mystery solved!", he smiled.  
"It's a time machine!", Modo called out.  
Throttle turned around to face his bro's.  
"So, contestants, outta the category of schemes, the question is…", he started.  
"Do you think Limburger is going into ancient history?", Modo continued, a thoughtful frown on his face.  
"And is he scooping dirt right outta Chicago's stone age?", Vinnie finished, a proud smile on his face.  
"Bingo. That correct answer moves you into the lead, Vincent…", Throttle smiled without thinking, but when he saw the look on Vinnie's face, he sighed. Why did he say that? Dammit. He quickly continued, not giving the white furred mouse the time to brag.  
"Now, we gotta stop him, boys, or this city is totalled before it's even been build!"  
"HAHA! Only one thing to do then…", Vinnie snickered, already forgotten what Throttle had said. Only one thing could take his mind of himself and that was whippin' tail, or in his words; party.  
"One battle in the past coming up!", Modo nodded at Vinnie, also looking happy.  
Of course, Vinnie was the biggest adrenaline junkie in the whole galaxy, but his bro's also never backed down from a opportunity to fight.  
"Okay, Freedom Fighters!", Throttle's voice echoed through the office and Modo and Vinnie looked at him. He was putting on his helmet. "Let's rock and ride into a space timed paradise!" and he revved his bike.  
His bro's quickly jumped at their bikes and when they got their helmets on, Modo laughed excited.  
"Oh yeah!", and he and Vinnie high fived.  
"Down in history", Vinnie cheered.  
"Haha! I kinda like the sound of that!", Modo agreed.  
Throttle shook his head with a smile. His worries were uncalled. Modo was focussed alright. Good thing too. This was gonna be one hell of a trip.

They popped a wheelie and drove straight into the machine. Vinnie grabbed his handlebars tightly when he felt how the air around his just became tighter and tighter. It felt like his body was pushed into a tube that was way too small. Breathing was difficult and when he thought he was gonna die in the most boring way instead of having a battle in the past, he suddenly could breathe again. He looked down and saw green land. They fell down with a dizzying speed and there was just no time to turn this into a controlled landing. The tires of their bikes slammed against the ground and because of the force, the mice flew off and landed hard on the ground, their bikes next to them.  
Vinnie landed on his belly and slid a few meters and he eventually ended up in one of the most uncomfortable positions, his ass pointing up and his neck crooked into a painful way.  
"We just gotta start planning our entrances better", he moaned, pushing himself up.  
"Yeah. Watch out for that last step…", Modo agreed, rubbing his lower back.  
"Wow, speaking of steps… Let's just hope this one's from yesterday…", Throttle gasped when he saw they were standing in a huge footprint.  
But suddenly, the ground vibrated and they heard loud steps coming closer. They slowly turned around and their mouth fell open. A huge dinosaur, a T-Rex to be specific, was standing in front of them. The animal was immens and the mice had to lay their heads in their necks to look at his head. Which wasn't a pretty nice view, by the way. Rows of sharp looking teeth looked back.  
"Oh momma…", Modo breathed, still staring.  
The T-Rex opened his mouth and growled, while lashing his tail. It hit a tree with so much force, it just flew away like it was nothing.  
"Now that's what I call whipping tail…", Vinnie said, somehow impressed.  
Modo raised his arm cannon, but Throttle stopped him.  
"Easy, easy. You can't blast a innocent creature, Modo! We're in his world now!"  
Modo lowered his arm, looking at Throttle with a desperate look on his face.  
"More like in his menu, bro…"  
They quickly ran to their bikes and jumped on it. Right before the T-Rex wanted to grab them with his mouth, they sped away.  
But the animal wasn't gonna let his snack walk, or drive in this case, away without a fight. He followed them, the ground was shaking with every step he made.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder.  
"Is it my imagination, big fella, or are you a little on the hungry side?", he asked.  
A loud growl was his answer. Vinnie chuckled and spotted a huge pepper hanging in a tree. Well, he just assumed it was a pepper. It did look like one. He drove along it and grabbed one.  
"Bon appetit…", he smiled and threw it over his shoulder, right into the mouth of the T-Rex.  
Yep. It was a pepper. The T-Rex stopped death in his tracks, making coughing sounds and rubbing with his small forepaws alongside his mouth. He quickly turned around and ran away, searching for water.  
"AAAAOOOWW!", Vinnie cheered happily.  
The mice stopped their bikes and watched the poor animal running away. But then, something caught Throttle's eye. It was a car and it it was…  
"Yo bro's! Got a cheesy source for ya…", he said when he spotted Limburger in the car, that drove by.  
"Let's ride!"  
They followed the car and spotted it across a weird green river.  
"Fire jets, guys!" and they used a big stone as a ramp. But when they were up and halfway, a arrow with a rope shot through the air and flew through their tires. It slammed into a big tree and the rope was pulled tight. The back of the bikes just flew up and threw the mice off, falling down into the weird river. They went under, and when they came up, they were covered in green slime.  
"Wow!"  
"This stuff is strong!", Modo called out, pulling on the slime that was on his armcannon. It looked like bubble gum or something like that. It was sticky and draughty.  
"Yeah, but it's good for pimples… or so they say…", Vinnie breathed, while pulling on the slime on his helmet.  
Limburger's evil chuckle took their attention.  
"Won't the researchers have a field day when they excavate the three of you in four or five million years… assuming they ever find you… muawahahaaaa!"  
The mice looked at him. He was standing at the edge of the river, looking way too satisfied with himself, and Greasepit was standing next to him, also smiling.  
They noticed the green stuff was pulling them further down. They fought against it, but it only made it worse. It was like quicksand, actually. The harder they struggled, the further they were pulled down. And soon, the last thing they saw was that hideous smile on Limburgers face.  
Luckily they had their helmets on, so they wouldn't suffocate immediately. But come on, this wasn't a cool way to die. Vinnie's words.

Meanwhile, back in the present day, Kiwi was worried. The mice were way too long gone. And it was also way too quiet. And the most disturbing thing… The tower was still standing. Oh, and let's not forget about the holes in the ground that just suddenly appeared outta nowhere. That also didn't stop. So, yeah… there must be something wrong. But what could she do? She was no soldier. Vinnie had said it himself. No, but she just couldn't sit here and do nothing, right? Her computer skills were completely helpless right now. Well, she could use it to bring security down, if necessary. But she could only do that if she was gonna get close enough. Okay. Let's just do this. She was never gonna forgive herself if the mice were in trouble and needed her and she was just sitting here, doing nothing. She quickly grabbed some basic tools outta the garage, in case the bikes needed a quick pit stop. She also took her computer with her and she jumped in her car. You got this, girl. The guys need you. I just feel it.

When she parked closeby LP, it was way too quiet. Brake marks made clear the mice had been here. Obviously. She walked to the tower, keeping a sharp eye on her surrounding. But there was nobody. The only thing that was missing was a piece of tumbleweed and the music of an old western movie. She sneaked inside and used the elevator to go upstairs. She was on edge. But like, really on edge. Every noise she heard made her heart skip a beat. Sweat was streaming down her back. Her breathing was fast and shallow. Come on, girl. You got this. A loud ping made her jump into the air, but she soon realized it was the elevator and the doors slid open. She laughed relieved and stepped inside Limburger's office.  
Hmmm…  
"G-guys?", she whispered, looking around her.  
She saw a weird looking machine. And the same marks she had seen outside.  
"No question you guys have been here…"  
She walked towards the machine. It was some fine piece of technologie. And she soon realized she was looking at a time machine. Wow… She studied it closely. This must be where the guys went. Oh my god, they went back in time. They just left her here, alone. She quickly gave herself a mental shake. Come on, Kiwi. They wouldn't leave you behind if there wasn't a reason for it. And of course they would come back. Stop whining, god dammit. Go after them.  
She took a deep breath and stepped on the small stairs. When she was standing in front of the gate that was gonna bring her back millions of years, she somehow hesitated. Well, not weird, giving the circumstances. She raised her hand and touched the weird looking light. That was a mistake. As soon as she touched it, it felt like something grabbed her and dragged her inside the machine. She let out a scream, but soon, it felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. She clawed to her throat, her eyes wide. Flashes of light were circling around her. She started to panic. Oh my god, she was gonna die in here. What did she do?  
But all of a sudden, she could breathe again. And she inhaled fresh air. She noticed she was falling and she looked down. Oh shit. Her mouth opened and she screamed her throat raw. She expected to hear the mice their bikes now, but the only thing she heard was the wind whistling in her ears. The ground came closer and closer and she squeezed her eyes…  
BAM.  
She landed into the bushes, which luckily broke her fall. She lay still for a moment, giving her brain time to process what just happened. But soon, her breathing became calmer and she slowly got upright. When she looked around her, she breathed in sharply. Oh my… She really was back in time. Bushes and big lawns of grass stretched out as far as she could look. Wow. But where were the mice? It was also way too quiet over here.  
She climbed on her feet and stumbled outta the bushes.  
"Ugh. These macho mice make this hero stuff look so much easier than it really is…", she muttered under her breath, pulling on her foot that was stuck between some branches.  
She took a deep breath when she was loose and started to walk. She had no idea where to go, but her feeling was telling her that this was the right direction. And she was right. She suddenly spotted the cherry red color of Vinnie's bike and she ran towards it. But then, she froze. This was weird. The bikes of the mice were hanging on a rope on their front tires above a green river. Her gaze lowered and she suddenly saw Modo's hand coming out it.  
Shit.  
"Oh my god, guys!" and she ran to the edge of the river. Shit, shit, shit. How was she gonna get them outta here? She touched the green water, but it wasn't really water. More like… sticky slime. There you had it. No soldier, remember? There was no way that she, a small and slender built girl, could drag three big, macho alien mice out of this. Panic took over and she screamed in frustration. They were gonna die. Because of her. Again, she was helpless. Useless. Again, she could only watch how her family died. And the thought of that, the fear that came with it, paralyzed her.  
And the only thing she could do, was stare at the river while silent tears were streaming over her face...

* * *

Poor Kiwi. How is she gonna do this?

Puhlease, review! :)


	32. Chapter 31

Thanks for the reviews!

I had this huge ass writers block this week. But I think I'm back on track now. On to the next chapter!  
Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty one**

But then, she suddenly realized something. The bikes. Kiwi looked up. The bikes were hanging with their backs down. Modo's hand wasn't under them. There was only thing she could do and she just hoped she wasn't gonna blow the mice to the seventh galaxy. She jumped at her feet.  
"Yo, a little help over here?", she asked, her voice echoed over the stretched lawns.  
The bikes didn't react.  
Shit.  
Panic was starting to take over. The mice were running outta time.  
"Hellooooooo!?"  
Nothing.  
"God dammit, you stupid pieces of metal, your riders need you!"  
Still nothing.  
Kiwi screamed in frustration and stamped on the floor, like a kid that didn't get a lolly pop. Dammit, why weren't they helping? She looked wildly around her, but she only saw grass and bushes. She opened her mouth to let out all the curse words she knew, when she suddenly froze.  
Right. That could work.  
And after taking a deep breath, she whistled between her teeth. The bikes revved their engines.  
"Jesus, was that so hard? Fire in tha hole, bikes!"  
All three bikes shot a rocket outta the back and the explosives disappeared in the green river. Kiwi stared at it, biting her lower lip. This has to work. A huge explosion made her fly backwards and she landed in the bushes, green slime all over her. Yuck. But it worked. The explosion made some sort of tsunami and the mice flew through the air and landed hard in a bush closeby.  
Green, weird looking fruits landed on top of them, falling outta the tree because of the hard clap from their landing. Modo grabbed one and smiled.  
"Ah well… At least we didn't land in a pile full of feathers."  
"Hey, check this, bro's! The juice in the fruit is dissolving the slime!", Throttle said, rubbing with the green fruit over his fur like a sponge. And he was right. He wiped away the slime like it was nothing.  
But before anyone could say something, Kiwi came into view.  
"Oh my god, guys! Are you hurt?"  
Vinnie crossed his arms.  
"Pfuh. As if we'd admit it", he said with a arrogant look on his face, but when he looked at Kiwi, he suddenly started to laugh.  
"Hey, Kiwi! Nice bail! And nice hair…", Modo laughed, also looking at Kiwi.  
"Yeah, screams for accessories, babe!", Throttle chuckled.  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes. What the hell were they talking about? She quickly grabbed her bag and took out the small mirror that was in the front pocket. Her mouth fell open. Her hair was standing straight up because of the slime and a big bone was stuck in the middle.  
What the… She looked like she just walked straight outta the Middle Ages or something. Her last name could be Flintstone right now. She started to blush.  
"Jesus, this is bad", she breathed.  
Modo and Vinnie quickly walked over her and squeezed two green fruits empty above her head. She felt her hair waving down and the bone clattered on the floor.  
"Geez, thanks guys. Holy shit, remind me to never do that again."  
Vinnie pulled her in his arms, still chuckling.  
"Not that you hear me complain, but what are you doing here, sweetheart?"  
"And how did you know your plan would work?", Throttle added.  
"I didn't. A little case of 'fingers crossed.' And I really had to find you guys! We're running outta time!"  
"Chi town starting to bottom out?"  
"Let's just say the whole city is looking like a Jigsaw Puzzle. With most of the pieces missing…"  
Vinnie pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and let her go.  
"Then it's time to search for a certain puffed up blowfish", he smiled, while grabbing his helmet that was lying on the floor.  
"I hear ya, bro. Let's get the bikes."  
They walked back and Vinnie used a flair to cut the rope. The bikes fired their jets and landed smoothly next to their riders.  
"After you, madam", Vinnie smiled while gesturing at his bike with one hand.  
Kiwi giggled and took place. Vinnie jumped in front of her and revved his engine.  
"All ready to whip some major tail, bro's!"  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

They were on their way to the tower, that Kiwi had spotted when she was falling down, when a army of goons suddenly popped up behind them.  
"Get ready, boys! It's tail whipping' time!", Throttle warned.  
One of the goons behind them fired a missile.  
"INCOMING!", Modo screamed. The rocket exploded in front of them and the mice jumped in the crater. Goons quickly surrounded the whole thing.  
Kiwi gritted her teeth and grabbed her gun.  
"Come on, guys! Time to rock that rockfish!", but she felt Vinnie's tail whirling around her waist like a snake.  
"Stay cool, sweetheart", Vinnie smiled, while looking over his shoulder. No matter how big of a turn on it was to see his lady this hyped up, it wasn't safe. "Let the pro's handle this."  
And he lifted her off his bike and set her gently on her feet.  
"Yeah, we're licensed, bonded…", Modo started.  
"...and ready to rock!", Throttle finished.  
They revved their bikes and before Kiwi could say something, they were already driving up the wall of the crater.  
"Typical…", she sighed.

"One land shark diversion on its way!", Vinnie cheered and he shot a rocket in the shape of a shark out of the front of his bike.  
The shark had a little drill as nose and made his way underground towards the goons. When it came to the surface, it exploded under the buggies of the goons that were waiting till the mice were coming up. The explosion made the goons flee the scene and the mice flew outta the crater.  
"Yeah!", Throttle smiled while landing.  
He and Modo shot their lasers at the buggies that were driving towards them, making them explode.  
Vinnie drove up next to one buggy and jumped off his bike. He landed behind the goon that was driving.  
"Here", the white furred mouse said while opening a compartment of the buggie, waving with a grenade. "Have a yourself a blast!"  
He pulled the pin out with his teeth and threw it into the opening. He quickly closed it and jumped back on his bike, laughing loudly. The explosion was deafening and Vinnie howled in excitement.  
But soon, too soon if you asked the white furred adrenaline junkie, the fight was over.

Meanwhile, Kiwi was doing her best to climb up, determined to help the mice. But when she finally popped up, aiming her gun, the only thing she could see was destruction, smoke and three mice sitting on their bikes with their hands in the air, smiling arrogant.  
"Don't shoot, sweetheart. We're all yours…", and Vinnie wiggled his eyebrows.  
"Whether I like it or not, huh?", Kiwi sighed, standing up.  
Vinnie was about to make a retort that wasn't made for kids ears, when a explosion in the distance caught their attention.  
They saw Limburgers Tower using a laser beam to blow up a small mountain that was probably in the way for his next target to turn into a crater.  
"I imagine that's where we find old finn fanny", Modo said, pointing at the building in the distance. It looked a lot like LP, but Middle Age style. It was still hideous, though.  
"Let's go kick some hella butt, shall we?", Throttle smiled, revving his bike.  
Kiwi quickly jumped behind Vinnie and he whirled his tail around her waist while opening the gas. She quickly grabbed him, leaning against him.  
They drove for a while, but then Modo's bike starting beeping.  
"Whoops! Sensor warning", he said dryly.  
"That means there's something dangerous on the other side", Throttle stated the obvious, looking in front of him.  
"AAAOOWW! Just the way we like it!", Vinnie cheered, gaining speed.  
"Yeah, but still… something tells me we just better… STOP!", Throttle suddenly yelled, seeing the edge of a huge cliff in front of them.  
They hit the brakes and Modo and Throttle came to a halt right on time. Vinnie, on the other hand, had a hard time doing it, since he was driving faster. He slammed his foot on the brake pedal and turned the back of his bike into a slide, so he also could use his weight to make sure the bike wasn't gonna top over. It was to keep Kiwi safe in particular. But he lost balance and when his bike stopped and turned upright, he noticed gravity wasn't on his side right now. He quickly unwrapped his tail to avoid he was gonna drag Kiwi with him and he flew over the edge of the cliff.  
"Yiiaaoooww!"  
"VINNIE!", Kiwi screamed in fear and she wanted to jump off his bike.  
But then, Vinnie's head popped up again, smiling sheepishly. He was lucky enough that there was a huge tree standing on the ground below him and the branches reached the top of the cliff.  
"I totally meant to do that", he chuckled, a little blush on his cheeks.  
But his bro's and Kiwi didn't react. He studied their faces, but they were staring at him with wide eyes.  
"What? What? What are you guys looking at?", he asked, but then he noticed they weren't looking at him, but at something behind him. He slowly turned his head and saw a huge dinosaur standing behind him. It wasn't the T-rex, but it was still huge. And spooky.  
Oh shit.  
The animal had a long neck and its head was right behind Vinnie. He could feel the warmth of its breathing against his fur.  
"Oh… Yeah… I see…", he stumbled. The beast opened his mouth and came towards Vinnie. The white furred mouse squeezed his eyes, expecting to get bitten, but the animal set his teeth in the leaves next to him.  
Kiwi let out her breath in relief. She suddenly remembered her history lessons. It's strange how these kinda things just hide in the deepest parts of your brains, to only pop up when you needed it.  
"Hey! It's a brontosaurus!"  
"Ehm, sorry Kiwi ma'am. My earth history is rustier than my right arm", Modo smiled sheepishly.  
"There herbivores, Modo. Vegetarians."  
"Leaf eater, 'ey sweetheart?", Vinnie asked the big beast, that was looking at him with interest while chewing on the leafs.  
"Good for you… and me…"  
The animal made a cute sound and pushed its nose against the white furred mouse. He chuckled and let go of the branches. He was now lying on his belly in sea star position on the nose of the big dinosaur, who was still making these cute noises.  
"Hehehe… She likes me", Vinnie smiled, still hugging the big nose.  
But a laser fire that landed closeby them ended the cute scene abruptly. They all looked in to the direction of the shot and saw goons and Greasepit coming straight towards them, Greasepit driving a strange vehicle.  
Vinnie was now standing on the nose of the dino and quickly ducked when a laser almost hit him.  
"Yiiaaooww! Time to get down!" and he jumped off the animal, made as somersault and landed on his bike smoothly. Kiwi almost got catapulted because of the force of his landing, but he quickly grabbed her with his tail.  
"Ready boys? It's tail riding time!", Throttle ordered and they jumped on the dino, riding down the long neck and jumping off by the tail.  
"Yiiihaaaaaaa", they cheered loudly. Kiwi shook her head with a smile.

They drove straight into incoming fire, but the goons didn't had a change. After a few minutes, the mice won the battle. But Greasepit was nowhere to be seen.  
"Greasedump went through there", Modo said, pointing at the bushes.  
"Time to take that buzz cycle outta commission", Throttle nodded and they drove away.  
But when they found Greasepit, he came running towards them instead of running away. The mice quickly stopped, looking confused.  
"Oh hey, Biker Mice! Just in time! Yous guys are the heroes. Save her…", he asked with a pleading look on his face, kneeling in front of the mice.  
They looked over him and saw the cycle that was used to cut the ground and transport it to Plutark was now in the mouth of the T-Rex. Inside of it, was a woman. A ugly woman. She had this weird hair with a bone in it and she wore a ugly dress made of furr.  
Modo smiled.  
"Ya know, there's something fadely resemble woman in that buzz cycle…"  
"Suggestions, bro's?", Throttle asked, smiling about Modo's comment.  
"Yeah. Leave it to the Vin man, I got just the ticket", and the white furred mouse revved his bike.  
Kiwi quickly jumped off, knowing she didn't want to be involved into a fight with a huge T-Rex. There were limits, you know.  
Vinnie drove straight to the T-Rex and climbed on his bike. He drove circles around it, whistling at the animal to get its attention, making faces at the same time.  
"HAHA! Remember me, taco breath?", he cheered, still circling around.  
The T-Rex saw him and threw away the cycle. Oh boy, he remembered alright.  
Vinnie sat down on his bike again and whirled around the big paws.  
"Catch me if you can! AAAOOWWW!" and he drove away with high speed. The T-Rex followed him, roaring in anger.  
Vinnie made sure he had a good head start and then quickly jumped off his bike. He took the giant poster of himself out of the back compartment of his bike and quickly attached it to a big rock. He hid in the bushes closeby with his bike.  
"Here comes the monster", he whispered, smiling.  
This had to work. But it was his idea. Of course it was gonna work. He was the best after all.  
The T-Rex came into view and spotted the poster, thinking it was Vinnie. He roared again and gained speed, his head low. He opened his mouth to attack, but he slammed against the rock. Hard. The beast moaned in pain, wobbling on his legs to keep himself up. But it was a losing battle and he fell on the ground with a loud bang, clearly unconscious.  
"Oh yeah! You'll be rocking out big time!", Vinnie cheered.  
When he came back to his bro's, Modo gave him a high five.  
"WOOHIE, it's gonna take a massive aspirin for that pounding headache!"  
Kiwi quickly jumped behind Vinnie.  
"I know, right", she agreed with Modo.  
Vinnie spotted the explosions that were on Modo's bike, the ones that Greasepit was busy with before his ugly girl got caught by the T-Rex. But before he could ask, Throttle intervened.  
"Speaking of headaches…. Hehehe… I say it's time to blast that vile and cheese molled right outta bedrock! Let's RIDE!"

When they reached the tower, Throttle and Vinnie fired their jets. Modo drove into the tunnel that was under the building to set up the explosions.  
Throttle and Vinnie landed in the office of Limburger and came to a halt with shrieking brakes. They looked around them.  
"Ah man, they booked outta here…", Vinnie pouted when he saw the room was empty.  
"Yeah, but not without closing the door behind them", Throttle said, kneeling down the time machine. "The controls are slagged…"  
He was right. Cables were hanging loose, sparks of electricity were coming out… it was a mess, alright. m  
"Can you fix it, bro?", Vinnie asked.  
"Eh… I feel better if Kiwi handles this", the tan furred mouse answered. Kiwi gasped.  
"What? Why? Gosh, I…"  
"Because you know how the transporter works. And my guess is that this thing isn't that different. You brought your computer, right?", Throttle interrupted her protest.  
"Eh, yeah… Okay, I'll try… But I can't promise anything…"  
She climbed off Vinnie's bike and pulled off her backpack. She grabbed her computer and attached it at the machine with a cable. Honestly, it's actually kinda weird that all this alien technologie has USB portals. But good for them. She took a few deep breaths to concentrate. As long as she could focus and had the time, this was gonna work. Throttle was right. The program was the same Limburger used for his transporter.  
Suddenly, Modo drove into the room.  
"Hey there! We got about ten seconds till this whole place blows up", the gray furred giant said dryly.  
Kiwi almost threw her computer in the air. So far for focussing and time.  
"TEN SECONDS? You expect me to work miracles?", she called out, her eyes wide open. Her heartbeat rose and she felt the familiar feeling of panic. She was so not good at working under pressure.  
"Five seconds…", Vinnie smiled, with that low voice of his.  
"Eehhh… four", Throttle chuckled.  
Why were they so relaxed?  
Kiwi was typing as if her life depended on it. Oh wait... it was. God dammit.  
"Three…", Modo continued.  
Jesus, they were gonna die.  
"Two", Vinnie said nonchalant, studying his fingernails.  
FUCK, this wasn't gonna work, they were gonna die, because she couldn't do her job, they were…  
Oh wait…  
"I GOT IT!" and she pushed enter.  
Vinnie was already on his bike and dragged her with him.  
"One", he chuckled, right before they followed Modo and Throttle into the machine.  
They could hear the explosion, but the sound quickly faded away and again, she couldn't breathe. She grabbed Vinnie tightly, who was also struggling. But then, they flew outta the machine in Limburger's office. She took a few deep breaths, only to let it all out in a deadly scream again when she felt with how much speed they were spit out by the machine. The bikes crashed through the window and they fell down. She screamed her throat raw and Vinnie squeezed his eyes because of her volume.  
"Sweetheart, puhlease… Sensitive hearing, remember?"  
The mice quickly turned their fall into a controlled landing and stopped at safe distance of the tower, to see it collapse into the hole that the explosion had made, back in time. They also noticed the other craters were gone, probably because the explosion back in time had filled the holes with sand and dirt..  
"There's one for the ages, huh guys?", Kiwi managed to get out, still a little shaken.  
"You bet ya. Ya know, there's something about seeing the bottom drop outta old cheese wedge his property values that makes for a truly fine conclusion to a, all together, exciting day!", Vinnie said laughing.  
"Well, what do ya say if we top it off with a pile of steaming hot dogs and frosty rootbeer?", Modo asked, rubbing his belly.  
"Hey, best idea I've heard in… well, I dunno, four or five million years", Throttle chuckled.  
"AAAOOWW, last one at the house…", Vinnie challenged his bro's.  
"... is a rotten Plutarkian!", Throttle called out, taking the bait.  
"Oh dear….", Kiwi sighed, right before Vinnie sped away and she quickly grabbed him. It was just one of those days…

 _Dear Throttle,_

 _I got your letter. Rimfire made it back safely and even brought a working spaceship with him. We could use that, after the Plutarkians stole our ships. Thank you for that._ _The Stalkers are gone. We threw them into the pit of everlasting doom. Rimfire kept whining he wanted to hang up their heads on the wall, just like the Stalkers did with their preys. It took me a lot of convincing to make clear to him that's just one awful idea and that we're not like them. He's still pouting about it. Remind me to never have kids.  
_ _I guess you're wondering how this letter reached you. Well, I just hope it did. But since the last time I saw you, I worked on this small, portable transporter. Luckily, Rimfire was carrying the device with him when he crashed on Earth. He took it with him so we could test it, but things worked out differently. He placed it in the mailbox at the place you're living. So, I figured I could try to send you this. Maybe it'll work.  
_ _I heard you guys are having a good time at Earth. A nice place to live, enough water, enough food, enough free time between fighting Limburger. I gotta admit, at first I was kinda upset. You and your bro's are the most valuable fighters we have and instead of fighting the war on your home planet, you're living this luxury life. But later on, I suddenly realized that you guys, and especially you, deserve it. I just wish I could be there with you. But my, no, our people need me here. And I also know you guys are doing a good thing. Stopping the Plutarkians, no matter on what planet, is our life goal now. Nobody deserves to see their home being destroyed like we did.  
_ _I know things were bad between us. And I thought I made right choice. To let you go. But then I saw you back on Mars, back here, and I now know I need you. I need you by my side, the rest of my life. I love you so much, Throttle. You have no idea. And I'm so sorry for the way I behaved. Accusing you of treason… God, I don't know what was wrong with me. But your feisty little female friend woke me up. Who is, by the way, very close to a certain white furred mouse, I heard. But hey, no surprise there. I just hope he isn't gonna break her heart like he did to Rose. She died, you know that? She killed herself… It happened right after you guys were missing. It was the final push.  
_ _So much sorrow. So much sadness. So much pain. I hate this war. I hate what I've become because of it. I hate what it did to all of us. But I'll keep fighting. As long as I know you're still out there, and that you eventually will come home, I have something to fight for. A life together. That's all I want.  
_ _My dearest Throttle, stay safe there on Earth. I'll be waiting._

 _Forever yours,  
_ _Carbine._

Throttle smoothed the letter and read it over and over again. A warm feeling crept inside of him and he sighed. A portable transporter. That was Carbine for ya. Smart girl. At least now they could communicate. God, he missed her so much. But knowing she missed him too, made his heart almost explode. She finally woke up. She finally realized they belonged together.  
"One day, Carbine. One day. I promise…"

Kiwi was twisting and turning. It was night and she couldn't sleep. The mice were sleeping in the guesthouse, including Vinnie. Most of the time he was sleeping there. There were this rare occasions he spend the night with her. She wasn't sure why he wasn't with her all the time. But she had the feeling it had something to do with Throttle. And with their whole 'bromance' thing. They were used to stick together, all three of them. To keep each other safe. The rare moments he slept here, he always woke up early and tiptoed back to the guest house. His bro's probably still weren't aware of the fact he sometimes spend the night in her bed. Ah well… She was never gonna judge him. And never gonna force him to do something that don't feel right for him.  
But dammit, she couldn't sleep. If she closed her eyes, she kept seeing the accident that killed her parents, over and over again. She saw how they were driving the highway. She was sitting behind her father and her mother was driving next to them. They were joking through the radio in their ear, having a great day. The sun was shining. There was no cloud in the sky. No wind. It was perfect. Perfect for taking a ride. Then why was that truck, that was driving in front of them, outta control so sudden? Why did it hit the brakes and slipped? She never knew. But now she did.  
She now knows that someone was responsible for the fact that the truck hit a advertisement board that was standing next to the road. She now knows why the whole thing just flew into the air and why it was coming straight towards them. Why it made her father's head fly off, like a cork that flew outta the bottle champagne on new years eve. Why her mother crushed against the truck, breaking every bone in her body. Why she herself ended up on the floor, thrown off her father's bike, with his blood all over her. Broken. Maybe not physically. But mentally. Broken. Shattered into a thousand pieces.  
She'd thought she was never gonna recover from it. But she kinda did. Well, she found a way to live with it. She just kept telling herself it was a accident. That, no matter how awful it was, these things happened. But it wasn't a accident. Someone was responsible for it. For all of this. And the anger she was feeling, wasn't normal. She never felt this angry before in her life. She knows she promised the mice, promised Ruby to let things be the way the were. But she couldn't. She just couldn't. She really tried, really. But here she was. Lying in bed, being consumed by anger.  
And she made a decision. She needed to know. She needed to know who broke her. And then, she was gonna break him. Make him shatter into a thousand, no, a million pieces. To never recover again. She'd thought Vinnie was right. That it wasn't gonna change anything. But he was wrong. How could she just live her life, while the person who killed her parents was still alive? Well, the answer to that is simple. She couldn't.  
She gritted her teeth, her heart was almost exploding in her chest. Tears were streaming over her face, but she wasn't really crying. She just lay there, cramped, staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily.

 _Break him...  
_ _Break him..._

The same two words just kept repeating over and over in her head. A scream was burning in her throat, like a knife pricking in her flesh. And for the first time, she just hoped Vinnie wasn't gonna come over. She didn't want him to see her like this. She didn't want to tell him how she felt. She couldn't. He would stop her. And she couldn't allow that. Nobody could know. This was something she needed to do on her own. And tomorrow, she was gonna start her project. But she needed sleep right now. So, failure again. She threw herself on her side and opened the drawer. She grabbed her bottle of pills and took four of them. Two wasn't gonna be enough right now. She swallowed them and stared at the bottle. Even such as simple as a bottle of pills was a reminder her life was never gonna be the same again. Everywhere she looked, it reminded her that her parents were dead.  
That they were killed...  
Her anger, that was summering under the surface, suddenly exploded and the scream finally made his way out. She threw the bottle against the wall with all her strength, screaming and crying. The bottle exploded and the pills flew through the whole room. But it didn't satisfy her anger. She jumped outta bed and started to hit the walls with her fists. Over and over again. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain and she looked down at her shaking hands. The knuckles were bleeding. She leaned against the wall with her back, still staring at her hands, crying so hard she almost choked. She slowly slid down, grabbing her head. Her whole body was shaking. The stream of tears never seemed to end. Her nose and throat were swollen and made swallowing difficult. Spit dripped outta her mouth on the floor, next to her tears. She thought she was gonna die. That she was gonna suffocate in her own emotions. But then, the pills kicked in. And hard. She took a double dose, after all. She tried to stand up, to walk to her bed, but the whole room was spinning. She tripped and landed on the floor on her belly. The whole world was fading away.  
"Break him…", she whispered and then, the whole world became black...

* * *

Oh dear, Kiwi lost it. Totally lost it. What is she gonna do? And are the mice gonna find out about her plans before it's too late?  
Hmmmm... If you want answers to these questions, you just gotta stay tuned ;)

Puhlease review :) And thank you so much for reading my story.

Later!


	33. Chapter 32

Thank you so much for your kind words, SpaceFlora. Really appreciate it :)

So, next chapter. It's a long chapter. Hope you guys like it! Enjoy ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty two**

"She's waking up…"  
Kiwi heard Throttle's husky voice. She slowly opened her eyes. Why was she lying on the floor? That was the first thing that popped up in her head. She blinked a few times and tried to lift her head, but her neck was so stiff, she hardly could. She moaned in pain, but her voice was hoarse. What the…  
Ah. She remembered. She totally lost her shit last night. Fuck. And now the mice had found her on the floor. Great.  
"Sweetheart…", Vinnie whispered, slowly helping her upright. "What happened?"  
She felt his strong arms around her. She smelled his scent. She looked up and saw his beautiful red ruby eyes, filled with concern. She saw Throttle kneeling down next to him and Modo standing in the doorway.  
"W-what time is it?", she whispered.  
Vinnie looked a little confused at this question, but decided to answer it.  
"Two in the afternoon…"  
Kiwi's head jerked up, but she wished she didn't. A sharp pain jolted through her spine.  
"What? Oh my god, you guys must be starving. Let me make breakfast for you!" and she tried to get up, but Vinnie stopped her.  
"Sweetheart, as much as I love to say yes to that offer, since I'm starving indeed… You need to give us some answers…"  
She squeezed her eyes, shaking her head. She couldn't tell them. She opened her eyes again and saw the bottle of pills lying broken on the floor. Broken. Shattered into a thousand pieces.  
"Break him…", she whispered, without thinking.  
"What's that?" Vinnie gently lifted her head and forced her to look at him.  
"Nothing. I eh… I would love to give you answers, but I have absolutely no idea what happened… I'm just as surprised as you…"  
Throttle studied her face. He didn't believe her. His gaze lowered and he saw her knuckles.  
"What happened to your hands?", he asked.  
He knew perfectly well what happened, because he recognized these kinda injuries. That's what you get when you punch someone, or something, over and over again. It made your skin split open like a rotten tomato. But he wanted her to say it out loud.  
Vinnie also looked at her hands. He was feeling so confused right now. What the hell was wrong with her? What the hell happened here last night? He had a nagging feeling he knew what this was about, but he didn't want to jump into conclusions.  
Kiwi stared at her hands and saw a image of herself punching the wall. Over and over again. God…  
"I eh… I don't know…"  
Throttle rubbed his chin. Something was wrong. Very wrong. But she didn't want to tell them. Obviously.  
Vinnie sighed and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.  
"Let's get you into the shower, doll. Come on."  
Throttle nodded at Vinnie and left the room with Modo.  
"We'll take care of breakfast, Kiwi. Take your time", the tan furred mouse said before he closed the door.

Vinnie let out a heavy sigh and pushed his girl softly towards the bathroom. She didn't protest. She didn't say anything. She just let him push her into the right direction, doing what he wanted like a zombie. Vinnie's worry grew. He closed the door behind them and turned on the shower. He turned around and faced Kiwi. She was staring right through him. He gently took off her clothes and he cupped her head in his hands.  
"Sweetheart… Please, talk to me… I know it's hard.. You know I do... "  
Kiwi didn't respond. She just inhaled his scent. It made her feel calmer. From the inside.  
Vinnie softly rubbed her cheeks, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.  
"You know you can talk to me, right? I know I'm not that good with having serious conversations, but something is eating you and I wanna help you… I wanna take care of you… But you need to let me in…"  
And when she still didn't react, he took a deep breath.  
"...Kiwi…"  
He said her name.  
Her eyes widened and she now looked him in the eye. And without thinking, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He grabbed her, to avoid she was gonna fall down again. Her hands grabbed his head and for a moment, they looked into each other's eyes. She could see his burning desire. But also still worry. And she could tell he knew she was doing this to distract him. And she also could tell he was gonna let her distract him. Because he needed her. And she needed him. Tears filled her eyes and she kissed him. Roughly. Like a wild animal. She just had lost control over herself in only one night. He kissed her back eagerly and she moaned his name. He let her go, still kissing her. She ripped off his sweatpants and he lifted her again.  
He carried her to the shower and the warm water only fired her desire even more. Vinnie pressed her against the wall, his mouth still claiming hers. He was breathing heavily, also losing control. His lips made his way to her ear and he set his teeth in her earlobe.  
Hard.  
Fire jolted through her body. She untangled herself and kissed his neck, his chest, his belly… She kneeled down and took him in her mouth. He breathed in sharply, his hands grabbed her hair and pulled on it.  
Hard.  
But she hardly noticed. When she felt he was close to his peak, she stopped and he grabbed her and turned her around. He forced her to bend over and made his way inside. He grabbed her hips and pushed her against him. She let out a soft scream, supporting herself against the wall. She felt one hand slowly making its way between her legs and when he touched her, she just couldn't hold it any more. She squeezed her eyes and clenched her teeth to keep the scream inside while a wave of pleasure flooded her. Her legs started to shake, but he didn't stop. He only moved faster.  
Oh god.  
She felt the pressure building up again. She was breathing heavily, and she could hear Vinnie was close to his peak too. Again, the wave flooded her and she felt Vinnie tense too. And then, all of a sudden, it was over.

They were both breathing heavily and Vinnie let her go. He leaned against the wall and slid down, dragging her with him. She sat down next to him. For a moment, they were only sitting on the floor, under the warm water. Kiwi took a few deep breaths. She felt dizzy. Gosh. That was amazing. Again. She wondered if having sex with Vinnie was gonna get boring one day. But she knew that was never gonna happen. Because nothing is boring with that white furred loudmouth around. She slowly turned her head and looked at him. He felt her gaze and crooked his head, so he could look down on her. He had this mischievous glance in his eyes and his lips were curled into that smile she loved so much. His fur was soaked, but it made him even more sexy.  
But then, his smile vanished. The look in his eyes suddenly changed into something else. Concern.  
Shit. So far for distraction. Kiwi lowered her head, staring at the floor.  
Vinnie cleared his throat.  
"Listen, sweetheart. I'm not gonna force you to talk about something you don't wanna. But just know you can always talk to me. Whenever you're ready, okay?"  
She looked up at him again. That's right. This was the exact reason they fitted so well together. Because they both knew how it was if someone was forcing you to talk about something you didn't want to talk about. He knew. So, he gave her space. As she had gave him space when he needed it. He knew, they both knew, that talking sometimes made things worse. Made it even more real. It made the demons real.  
She gave him a small smile and grabbed his hand.  
"Thank you…"  
Vinnie squeezed her hand and gave her a sad smile back.  
"As long as you know Throttle isn't gonna let you get away with this that easily. So, come up with something. The truth, or, if you're not ready, something else."  
She stared at him. Was he really gonna be okay with her lying to his bro and leader? But then she smiled. Of course he was. It was Vinnie after all. And he loved her. He would do anything to protect her. She crawled against him and he swung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer with a heavy sigh.  
"The things I do for love…", she heard him mutter under his breath.  
"I know, right…", she whispered back.

Kiwi walked into the kitchen, with Vinnie close behind her, but then she stopped death in her tracks.  
"Ruby!", she called out surprised.  
The red headed woman was sitting at the kitchen table next to Modo and Throttle. When she saw Kiwi, she rose on her feet.  
"Hey girl", she said softly and pulled Kiwi in a hug. Kiwi hesitated, but then hugged her back. Ruby untangled herself and studied Kiwi's face, who was looking back suspiciously.  
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"  
"I called her", Throttle said, before Ruby could answer the question. Kiwi stared at Throttle.  
"What? Why?"  
"You obviously need help. And if you don't wanna talk to us, I figured maybe Ruby can make you talk."  
Kiwi sighed and gave Vinnie a pleading look. But he looked back with a apologetic look. There was nothing he could do for her right now. She sighed.  
Ruby rubbed her arm.  
"Kiwi, you know you need to talk about what is going on in your head. You know what happens if you don't…"  
"Yeah, yeah. Then I'll become depressed again. I know, I know. Same old, same old", Kiwi said annoyed.  
Dammit. There was no way she was gonna tell them. They would stop her. But she needed to know. She needed to know who killed her parents and she needed to break him. That was the only way to make her able to move on with her life. But she needed to give them something. Like Vinnie said. If you're not ready to tell the truth, come up with something else.  
"Listen, guys. You're all overreacting. I just couldn't sleep. And so I needed my pills again and that made me so angry. It's just… they give me the feeling of failure. And it's also a constant reminder about what happened. So, I took the pills but then I just lost it for a moment. But I'm fine. Jesus, can't a girl just have a slight relapse once in a while?"  
Ruby studied her. Kiwi was staring at the floor, her shoulders pulled up, her hands making nervous movements… She was lying. Obviously. Ruby gently took her hands.  
"And so you also decided to hit something?", she asked nonchalant, looking at the damaged knuckles.  
Kiwi sighed heavily and pulled back her hands.  
"Yes. Although I hardly can remember."  
"Sit down, lemme clean those wounds for ya", the red headed woman ordered and when she saw Kiwi wanted to protest, she shook her head with determination.  
"No buts, young lady. SIT!"  
Kiwi did what she said and sat down.  
Vinnie was still standing next to the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was still only wearing his sweatpants and his fur was still wet. He gave Throttle a quick look, but the tan furred mouse was focussed on Kiwi. His poor girl. There was obviously something very wrong with her. And he had the nagging feeling where this was about. He knew Throttle had too. It wasn't that long ago that his bro and leader came to him to tell him he was worried about Kiwi. That she was way too relaxed after her outburst of anger when Ruby had told her the truth about her parents. But as usual, Vinnie had waved it away. Because as usual, he had felt that uncomfortable feeling he always felt when someone wanted to talk about feelings and stuff. The panic to be forced to open up. To be vulnerable.  
Sure, he was trying the best he could. He had opened up a lot more since they were on Earth as when they were living on Mars. But maybe he'd made a mistake. He wrinkled his nose. A mistake. Gosh, that sounded so much like failure. And he was Vinnie van Wham. He never failed. But still…  
Maybe he needed to set his own fears and demons aside to help his girl. But he just couldn't. He knew damn well how she was feeling right now. And he knew how annoying, terrifying and oh right, annoying it was when someone was forcing you to do something that scared the hell outta you. He gritted his teeth.  
Dammit. Life could be so fucking difficult sometimes. Where were the times he just could blow up things to solve his problems? Or to make sure he had enough adrenaline rushes to make sure the emotions weren't taking over? Ugh…  
But even with this whole debate in his head, he kept his mouth shut. He wasn't gonna throw Kiwi in front of a group of hungry lions. It was her choice if she wanted to talk about it. A soft voice, deep down in his brains, told him he needed to do everything to protect her. Everything. Even if that meant she was gonna feel betrayed by him. Even if that meant she was gonna leave him. But you see, that just was the whole problem. He was selfish. He always had been. He didn't want to lose her. He just couldn't. He needed her. So badly.  
So, he just stood there, watching the scene and for once, quiet as a mouse.

Kiwi was staring at her hands, looking how Ruby was cleaning her knuckles. The alcohol gave her the feeling as if her hands were on fire, but she hardly noticed. She was thinking how she was gonna find out more about the Shadow Hunters. And she realised, the key to that puzzle was sitting next to her and cleaning her wounds. But she couldn't take the risk to ask her. She couldn't take the risk to trust her. It was important the mice never found out. Because if they did, they would never let her outta their sight, ever again.  
She could feel herself slowly turning back into that closed, cold person she was when they met. And she hated herself for it. For shutting them out. Especially Vinnie. But there wasn't a choice right now. And she needed to find out where the Shadow Hunters were stationed. And there was only one person who could lead her to it. She needed a GPS tracker. That was the safest option. Following Ruby wasn't. What if she caught her? Plus, the mice were never gonna let her go out after this. So, a GPS tracker it is then.

Ruby wrapped a bandage around her hands.  
"There. All done. Leave the bandage for about three days, after that, let it dry and heal without anything on it, okay?"  
Kiwi nodded.  
"Yeah. Thanks, Ruby. Really."  
Ruby nodded.  
Kiwi faked a big yawn.  
"Guys, I'm exhausted. If you don't mind, I'm gonna go back to bed…"  
They obviously did mind, but they didn't know what to say to stop her.  
Vinnie pushed himself off the wall.  
"I'll walk with ya, sweetheart", he said.  
But she shook her head, and the look on his face almost broke her heart.  
"No need, Vin. I'm fine. I just wanna sleep."  
He narrowed his eyes, but then he only nodded, crossing his arms before his chest again. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and waved at the rest, before she made her hasty retreat, tears in her eyes.

Throttle sighed. This was bad. She now even was shutting Vinnie out. He looked at Ruby.  
"This must have something to do with her parents. She was way too relaxed."  
Ruby slowly nodded.  
"Yeah, but honestly… can you blame her? I totally understands she wants to know who killed her parents…"  
"And then what? Kill him?", Vinnie snapped at her, still leaning against the wall. He felt rejected. And he hated that feeling. It made him angry. And now, Ruby was gonna pay the price.  
Ruby looked at the white furred mouse, a little surprised look on her face. Modo lay his hand over hers to stop her and gave Vinnie a warning look. Vinnie put his chin in the air and Modo sighed. No way his younger bro was gonna back down. Oh momma... This was gonna be one hell of a day…  
"Vincent, chill. Ruby, I also understands she wants to know, but given her previous reaction, my guess it's better she doesn't. The anger is obviously too much for her. She is gonna do something stupid if she finds out. And that can also bring her into danger." Throttle looked at Ruby.  
"Well, yeah, but… Don't you guys think the murderer needs to be punished for what he did?", she asked at the tan furred mouse.  
"Maybe. But selling him out to the government is outta the question. They know about Limburger, I just know it. Plutarkians are good at politic games. They use money to get what they want. You'll be surprised what people do for money... I've seen it happen. The government of Mars just sold them our planet. Our home. No way Earthers are any different. So, how exactly are we gonna punish this anonymouse killer?"  
Ruby smiled.  
"Did you just said anonymouse? That's cute, really", but then her face grew serious again.  
"Okay, I'll get your point. The only way to punish him, is to kill him."  
"Right. And that's something we just ain't do", Modo added.  
"Why not? You guys are soldiers? People die in war. How is this any different?"  
Vinnie pushed himself off the wall and walked to the table, his eyes fuming.  
"People who die on a battlefield is not the same as looking someone in the eye and pulling the trigger. Trust me, I know, sweetheart. Is that what you want for Kiwi? Turn her into a murderer? It's not gonna make her feel any better. It's gonna tear her up."  
He leaned on the table and looked Ruby in the eye, a threatening but also challenging look in his eyes.  
But Ruby didn't even flinch. She looked back, also challenging.  
"And how do you know what's good for her? You're not really a good example how to deal with certain things, are you?"  
She didn't want to say that. But it just happened. She didn't liked to be challenged.  
Throttle and Modo looked carefully at Vinnie, ready to intervene. The white furred mouse was obviously upset and he behaved very unpredictable when he was. Vinnie narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth again. The tip of his tail started to twitch.  
But the words that came outta his mouth, surprised them all.  
"That's the exact reason why I know what's best for her. Because I don't want her to be like me…"  
Ruby's face softened.  
Modo and Throttle shared a quick look. There were still so many things they didn't know about their white furred bro. About his past. About his deeds. Why he'd become like he was now. They only knew about Jester. But there was more to it. Obviously.  
"So, what do you suggest, then?", Ruby asked, still looking at Vinnie. The latter relaxed a little and dropped on a chair with a heavy sigh.  
"I dunno… I just wish you never told her…"  
A deadly silence.  
"She had the right to know…"  
"Maybe she did. But she was doing okay. She was starting to feel happy again. Until you told her. That's all I know… Ruby." He added her name with a derogatory tone in his voice.  
"Okay, Vincents, that's enough. You made your point", Throttle quickly intervened. He knew his younger bro well enough to know what direction this conversation was gonna take.  
"Why don't we all let it sink in, think about it and keep a close eye on Kiwi ma'am in the meantime?", Modo suggested, still holding Ruby's hand.  
"I guess that's the only thing we can do right now…", Throttle sighed. The rest agreed. Vinnie climbed on his feet.  
"I'm gonna go for a…" For a ride, he wanted to say. But he saw the look on Throttle's face. Okay. It was obvious his older bro didn't want him to be out alone, riding on a bike with enough firepower to destroy the whole city. As if he would do that. Well… Maybe… Sometimes these kinda things just happened to him. He still hadn't figured out why. Maybe it had something to do with his lack of self control. And his ability to get carried away.  
"Nap. Yeah. I'm gonna go for a nap", Vinnie quickly said and left to the guesthouse.  
Throttle shook his head. He looked at Modo and Ruby and also stood up.  
"I'm gonna go read more of those journals Flo left us. Thanks for coming over, Ruby. We'll keep a close eye on her, okay? I promise."  
Ruby hesitated.  
"Listen, Throttle? It's not that I don't trust you, but maybe I can stay here for a while? You know, to also keep an eye on her? I eh…"  
Throttle held up his hand to stop her.  
"Sure thing, Ruby. You care about her. You don't need to explain."  
"Thanks, Throttle."  
The tan furred mouse nodded and walked away, leaving Ruby and Modo alone.  
"Are you okay, Ruby?", Modo asked softly, rubbing her hand with his thumb. Ruby stared at it.  
"To be honest, I don't know. Maybe Vinnie's right. Maybe I never should have told her…"  
"Don't feel bad about it, this ain't your fault. You thought you were doing the right thing and you never knew she was gonna react like this."  
"No, but still…"  
Modo gently wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. She let him and leaned against his strong, muscular body. It felt good. She was a fighter. She always had been. A woman who was strong, independent and solving her problems by her own. But she had to admit, it felt good to just lean against someone. Someone strong. Who supported her. She was used to doing things by herself. But having someone standing by her side… Well, maybe she could get used to that too…

Meanwhile, Kiwi wasn't sleeping. No surprise there. She was working to make a small GPS tracker by using a old phone. All she had to do was to take the GPS system out of it and place it into a small box. The box wasn't bigger then a coin and she quickly connected the tracker to her phone. Easy peasy.  
When she was done, she tiptoed downstairs and heard Modo's heavy voice softly rumbling, interspersed with Ruby's soft voice. No husky voice. No sexy and low voice. Throttle and Vinnie were obviously somewhere else. Good. She sneaked into the living room, knowing the spot where Ruby always dropped her bag. She just hoped this was the bag she also brought with her when she was going to work. But that's a risk she gotta take.  
Kiwi opened the bag and cut a small hole in the lining. She let the small tracker slide into the hole and quickly closed it again with some glue. All done.  
She quickly walked back up and locked herself into her room. With a heavy sigh she dropped on the bed and before she even could process it, she fell asleep.

Vinnie was lying listless on the couch on his belly. The tv was flickering in his face, but he wasn't watching. He was deep in thoughts. Things were so outta control all of a sudden. A thing he normally had no a problem with. But this whole thing with Kiwi…  
Dammit. That she refused to let him walk her to her room looked like a innocent incident. Where he normally wouldn't react on in the way he did now. But it was the look in her eyes who had told him she was pushing him away. And that was the thing that made him upset. He let out a heavy sigh. He was so not good at this. He had no idea what to do. Because he somehow understood why she did it. Because he would've done the same. It was a defending mechanism that he learned himself since he was 16. Pushing people away before they could get too close. That was a long time ago. Ugh. What a depressive thoughts for his usual joyful brain.  
The door opened. A gust of wind made him shiver, since his fur was still wet. Ugh. It always took so long till he was dry. The door closed again. Vinnie's sensitive hearing could hear footsteps coming closer. He recognized them as Throttle's.  
Oh boy.  
The tan furred mouse dropped on the other couch. He snatched the remote outta Vinnie's hand with his tail and turned off the tv.  
"Bro, I was watching that…", Vinnie protested, but even in his own ears it sounded weak. He knew Throttle wanted to talk. But honestly… He didn't…  
But he just didn't had the strength to walk away.  
"No, you weren't. Vincent…", but Vinnie interrupted him.  
"We need to talk. Yeah, yeah, I figured…"  
"What did she tell you?"  
Vinnie blushed, he just couldn't help himself. Luckily he was still lying in the same position and Throttle couldn't see it.  
"Nothing. She told me nothing."  
"And what did you tell her?"  
"That she could talk to me whenever she's ready."  
"That's it? That's all that's been said while you were in that bathroom?"  
"Honestly, bro, you really don't want me answer that question…"  
Throttle shook his head. Of course. It was Vinnie. Stupid question indeed.  
"Ahum, right. So ehm… Just so you know, Ruby is gonna stay with us for a while. She's worried about Kiwi too. So… Are you okay with that?"  
Vinnie shrugged, as far as that was possible in his position.  
"As if I have something to say about that…"  
"Vincent, what is up with you, man? This whole attitude of yours, being this introvert… It doesn't suit you."  
"I'm just tired, bro. How's Carbine? Saw she managed to send you a letter."  
"Rose killed herself."  
Throttle closed his mouth. Shit. That wasn't supposed to come out. But as usual, he lost his patience. Talking with Vinnie about this shit was just so exhausting. But it did took Vinnie's attention. T  
he white furred mouse jerked upright and his head popped up from behind the armrest.  
"Say what?"  
Throttle sighed.  
"Rose is dead. That's what was in Carbine's letter. And Rimfire made it safe back home."  
"That's it? That's all that she wrote?", Vinnie asked, his ruby red eyes narrowed.  
Throttle gave him a smile.  
"You really don't want me answer that question, bro."  
Vinnie stared at him for a moment, but then smiled back.  
"Fair enough."  
"Don't let her push you away, Vinnie. Just… don't."  
Vinnie's ears drooped a little and he almost wanted to say something macho and all, but he suddenly realized it wasn't gonna help him.  
"It's her choice, Throttle. I'm not gonna force her to talk. Never", he said shortly, giving his tan furred bro a meaningful look.  
Throttle suddenly wasn't sure if they were still talking about Kiwi.  
"Not even if it can help her?"  
"No. Never."  
And with this words, Vinnie dropped back on his belly again. The message was loud and clear. This conversation was over.

"What's this, Kiwi?"  
Kiwi looked at the small thing that Ruby lay on the table in front of her.  
A few day had past. Kiwi had avoided the mice and Ruby as much as she could. She even hadn't talked to Vinnie. But now, the mice were on patrol and Ruby was standing in front of her, confronting her with the GPS tracker. Shit. She must have found it.  
Fuck.  
She looked up at Ruby and the look on the red headed woman's face struck her with pain. Disappointment. Gosh, she hated that look. Tears filled her eyes while shame flooded her.  
"I eh… God, Ruby… I'm so sorry…"  
"So, you're not gonna deny the fact it was you who put it in my bag?"  
Kiwi shook her head, her gaze lowered.  
"H-how did you find out?", she asked with a shaky voice. Ruby let out a laugh, but it wasn't one of joy.  
"Really, Kiwi. I work for the most secret department of the government. You really think I just walk in with a GPS tracker in my bag without someone noticing it?"  
Kiwi's head jerked up, suddenly scared. And somehow angry on herself she hadn't been watching the tracker when Ruby was at her work. No she still had no idea where she worked.  
"Shit, Ruby, it didn't give you trouble at work, I hope? I would hate myself if…', but Ruby held up her hand.  
"Don't worry. The security is a good friend of mine. Anyway, it's time we talk. And I want you to be honest. What is your plan?"  
"M-m-my plan?"  
"Yeah, your plan to find out who killed your parents. Duh. It's obvious, Kiwi. So, tell me."  
Kiwi studied Ruby's face, but the disappointment was gone. There was only… interest.  
"Well, first I… Ruby, why do you wanna know? You don't want me to go after him, right?"  
Ruby studied her nails.  
"The mice don't want you go after him. I never said I agree with them… You know, I was so surprised that night, when we had that second dinner, when you told me you were fine with it. That it wasn't gonna change anything… It's just nothing like you. But it seemed you made up your mind. So why would I force you to do something you didn't thought was necessary anymore? Plus, the mice were very clear. I was gonna risk my life if I would continue my search… But you need to know one thing; I'll do everything for you. Including risking my life. If you're searching for peace, if knowing who did it helps you find it, then I will help you."  
Kiwi's eyes filled with tears while listening to her friend.  
"Ruby, I don't know what to say, I…"  
"Well, why don't you start with telling your plan."  
Kiwi smiled, despite the situation. That's Ruby for ya.  
"I eh… I wanted to figure out where you work. If I know, I can try to hack into their system…"  
Ruby started laughing.  
"Kiwi, come on. I just told you, it's the most secret…"  
This time, it was Kiwi who interrupted her.  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's getting old, you know. But I'm not just a hacker, you know? I'm the daughter of Jack Lavendor. You told me yourself. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. I know what I'm doing."  
Ruby smiled, a proud glance on her face.  
"You really are his daughter. God, I wish he could see you right now. He would be so proud…"  
"You aren't gonna get sentimental on me now, right? Tears doesn't suit you", Kiwi teased, but lovingly.  
"Oh god, no. They give you this awful headache. Listen, why don't we drive over there right now? How close do you need get?"  
"Ehm, a few blocks around it should do it."  
"Right. Let's do this. Right after you answer my last question. What are you gonna do when you know?"  
Kiwi fell silent.  
"Because I hate to say it, but I agree with the mice on that point. Killing someone is gonna tear you up. I guess they can know…And I know too. I worked with soldiers. Broken soldiers, Kiwi. I don't want that for you..."  
I'm already broken, Kiwi wanted to say. But she closed her mouth and fiddled with her fingers. She couldn't tell Ruby.  
"I eh… I won't go after him. I just need to know. Like you said; to find peace."  
Ruby sighed.  
"You're lying, I can tell. Promise me. Promise me you won't go after him and I'll do everything to help you, okay?"  
Kiwi took a deep breath and looked into Ruby's eyes.  
"I promise."

"Alright, let's do this."  
Kiwi grabbed her laptop. They were sitting in Ruby's car closeby City Hall. Ruby had told her the Shadow Hunters operated from under there. Kiwi smiled. So she wasn't that stupid after all to suggest to go to City Hall. Kiwi looked at the red headed woman next her.  
"Are you sure about this? This could cost you your job, and that's the less bad scenario…"  
But Ruby shrugged.  
"I'm sure. Your father wasn't the only one who made good money. I'm not gonna starve if I'll lose my job, don't worry."  
"It's not the money that worries me, Ruby. You love what you do."  
"Stop thinking about me. Do you thing."  
Kiwi nodded. She felt like shit. The mice were on patrol. She was doing this behind their backs. And it made her feel so bad about herself. After all those times they saved her life. All the times Vinnie had risk his life to save hers. And now she was putting herself on the line. Guilt was twisting and curling in her stomach. It made her feel sick. But she needed to do this. I'm sorry guys… I'm so sorry…

After two hours of typing, thinking and bypassing firewalls, Kiwi let out a scream of excitement.  
Ruby looked up startled.  
"Jesus, woman! You almost gave me a heart attack!"  
The red headed woman had been sleeping since hacking into a high secure department wasn't that exciting as it sounded. Actually, it was kinda boring.  
"Sorry, not sorry! I'm in!", Kiwi cheered, clapping her hands.  
"Okay, so now what?"  
"I just need to search for my fathers files."  
"Kiwi, if I knew this at the beginning I would've told you this sooner, but your father's files are deleted."  
"Not in my book. They always leave a trail. The Shadow Hunters should know that. So, it's gonna be tricky. But everybody, no matter how smart, leaves a trail."  
"Okay… Gosh, I'm starving. I'm gonna go grab something to eat, alright? It's already getting dark. Be right back."  
"Sure thing", Kiwi answered distracted, already busy with searching into the files.  
Ruby shook her head. Yep. She truly was a daughter of her father. And she stepped outta the car and closed the door with a smile.

It maybe had cost a lot of time to break in the system, but finding her father's files was easy. Ruby was only gone for ten minutes when Kiwi found the jackpot. The files were all neatly organized by date and name. God, you would've thought that if you were a mastermind hacker, you didn't organize your files by name. But her father probably had thought the files were good secured by the system. Well, he was wrong. Obviously.  
She clicked on the files, one by one. Wow, this was gold. The names meant nothing to her, but every file was filled with enough information to get them into a lot of trouble. Well, most of them already were. The files that were closed meant the person was caught and in jail. Anyway, she wasn't interested in them. She needed to find the one file that cost her parents her life. Ah. There it was.  
LOL.  
Lawrence Octavius Limburger.  
She could feel her heart beating faster and her hands turning sweaty. This is it. Was she gonna find out who killed her parents? She sure hoped. After taking a deep breath, she clicked on the file. It was almost empty and Kiwi cursed softly. But she forced herself to stay focussed and not jump into conclusions too quickly. There were two documents. One was a text document. The other one was a recorded file.  
Hmmm.  
She clicked on the recorded file first. This must be the tape where Ruby had told her about. She quickly grabbed her headphones and pressed play.  
Rustle filled her ears. A scraping sound. And then, a voice she immediately recognized.

" _Ahhhh, Chicago… Soon, this whole area will become my magnificent new Limburger industries Mega Plaza. From this central Plaza, my famous holding shall expend worldwide. Stripminin in San Francesco. Clear cutting in Cincinnati. Demolition in Detriot… And then, the whole world is mine to dig... Muawahahahaaaa"_

Kiwi stared at the screen. That's it? Ah well, it was a start to know this guy was up to something. She could understand why her father was interested. She opened the text document. She quickly read it. But nothing important caught her eye.  
DAMMIT.  
She closed her eyes for a moment. Grab yourself together, Kiwi. You didn't came this far to give up that easily. Nobody said this was gonna be easy. Someone had found the files. So, she needed to find out who did. She started typing again. A name appeared on the screen. Only one. That was her father's boss, Blaze Ross. Ruby had told her that.  
Hmmm…  
Time to dig a little further.

Kiwi let out her breath. Throttle was right. It was the government. Her father's own boss had betrayed him. He had found out that her father was working on this. He'd hired someone to do the job. He didn't even had the balls to do it himself. The guy also died in the crash. So he already paid the price.  
Blaze Ross...  
He was taking money from the Plutarkians. And it wasn't Limburger. It was, as far as she could trace, coming straight from Plutark. Probably behind Limburgers back. No surprise there. The guy wasn't even able to stop the mice. So, Plutark's government wasn't gonna take any chances. Blaze Ross. She was staring at his name. The letters were almost jumping off the screen. Her heart was pounding in her chest.  
Blaze Ross…  
Her gaze lowered to his address. He was living in the same neighborhood as her. Of course he was. It was one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago. And he was rich alright. No surprise there. The Plutarkians gave him a lot of money to keep his eyes open. To spy for them. To take care of people who found out about them. Blaze Ross…  
Anger filled her veins. The anger slowly turned into hate. Slowly, she closed the screen. She put her laptop in her back, moving like a robot. Slowly. A little shakely. But controlled. She looked at the driver seat. Ruby still wasn't back. But she left the keys in the contact.  
Sorry Ruby. I know I promised. But there was no going back now.

Ruby walked back to the place where the car was parked. She was carrying bags full with sushi. It had been busy in the restaurant, who also did take away. She'd waited for almost 45 minutes. But it was gonna be worth it. She was wondering if Kiwi already made some progress. But when she walked around a corner, she froze. The car was gone. Fuck. She dropped the bags with the food and ran towards the empty spot.  
No… No, Kiwi, you promised, god dammit… She stared at the street. Shit.

 _I took Kiwi with me today to cheer her up a little.  
_ _Don't wait for us. And no worries, I'll bring her back home safely._

 _Ruby_

Vinnie was reading the two lines over and over again. Something didn't feel right. Something was bugging him. But what, he just couldn't lay a finger on it. He was sitting on the couch in the living room. His bro's were watching tv.  
The patrol had been boring. No sign of Limburger. No opportunity to release some off the stress that was in his body since that morning they'd found Kiwi on the floor of her bedroom, all fucked up. He felt he became more tense at the day. Kiwi hadn't talked to him. Well, only the much needed business. But she was keeping her distance. And it was driving him crazy.  
"Bro's, something ain't right", he suddenly said.  
"What are you talking about, Vin?", Modo asked, still looking at the tv.  
"Kiwi."  
"What about her, Vincent?", Throttle asked, looking at his white furred bro.  
The guy was tense, alright. He was still looking at the small note Ruby had left on the kitchen table, the one they found when they got home. Well, the one Throttle had found after Vinnie almost lost his shit when he saw the two girls were gone. His hands were shaking a little, the tip of his tail was twitching and so were his ears. His eyes suddenly lost contact with the note and he looked at the small table next to the couch.  
"That's it!", Vinnie suddenly called out, jumping at his feet.  
Throttle was wondering if he was losing it again, but his eyes were way too clear for that. Vinnie looked at him.  
"I just have this feeling something ain't right, but I couldn't understand why. But now I know!"  
Throttle and Modo stared at him.  
"Okaay… So ehm, care to share it with us?", Modo asked.  
Vinnie pointed at the table.  
"Her laptop. It's gone", the white furred mouse said, almost triumphant.  
But then his face clouded.  
"Shit. Her laptop is gone…"  
Modo and Throttle finally catched on and they jumped up.  
"That ain't good…", Modo slowly said.  
"Nope. It can only mean one thing…", Throttle said, looking at Vinnie.  
"And that's she still going after the person who killed her parents…", he finished with a low voice.  
At that moment, the phone rang. Modo picked it up.  
"Lavendor residence, Modo speaking", he said polite. Then his face darkened.  
"Ruby? Easy, I can't understand a word you're saying."  
Throttle signed to Modo he needed to put the phone on speaker.  
"Oh god, I made a terrible mistake, Modo… I shouldn't have trusted her, not like this… Oh god, oh god…"  
The always so calm Ruby sounded like she was gonna hyperventilate.  
"Wow, easy, Ruby. Try to calm down. What happened?", Throttle intervened.  
"Throttle? I eh… Kiwi is gone…"  
"WHAT?" Vinnie grabbed the phone. "Where is she, Ruby? What have you done?"  
"Vinnie, I'm so sorry, I thought I could trust her… She promised me not to go after him…"  
"So, you're saying you helped her, you encouraged her to go on this fucking suicide mission?!"  
"God, I don't know what I was thinking… And now she's gone. She took my car…"  
Throttle quickly took over the conversation, calm as always.  
"Ruby, where are you?"  
"Closeby City Hall…"  
"Okay. Stay where you are. We're coming to get you."  
"Please hurry. My car has a GPS tracker, but I don't know how…"  
"The bikes will pick up the signal. We're on our way", and Throttle hung up. He looked at Vinnie.  
"Did you know Kiwi had plans to do her research behind our backs?"  
Vinnie looked at him as if he just caught on fire.  
"What? No way, man. I would've stopped her myself. Let's go."  
Vinnie marched to the garage and jumped on his bike.  
God dammit, Kiwi. You stupid, stubborn girl.  
His bro's followed his example and they sped away.

Kiwi was looking at the house from the car. It had good security, but that wasn't a problem for her. She already had put down the whole system and now, it was time. She opened her bag and took out her gun. The one Vinnie gave her. It felt like ages ago. She knew Blaze didn't had a family and by the looks of things, he was home alone.  
Perfect.  
With a soft click, she closed the car door behind her and walked over to the house. She opened the gate that was suppose to stop strangers from going in, but it wasn't gonna stop Kiwi. Nothing was gonna stop her. She crossed the big driveway and stopped in front of the front door.  
Closing her eyes, she searched for guilt. For fear. For anything that was gonna make her stop from doing this. But there was nothing. She was almost in a trance. The only thing that was going through her head, was that Blaze had to pay. He needed to be broken. He needed to die.  
So, after taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

"Guys, thank god…", Ruby called out when the mice stopped in front of her. She quickly ran over to Modo and jumped in his arms. Modo, at first a little surprised, wrapped his arms around her.  
"Ssshhh, it's okay. We'll find her", Modo said softly, looking at his bro's.  
Vinnie looked like he was gonna explode any minute and Throttle was rubbing his chin, probably already thinking about a plan. There was a silence for a moment, but then, Vinnie broke it.  
"We need to track your car, Ruby. Give me your codename and password", he said toneless, typing something on the small screen in his bike.  
Ruby gave him what he needed. Vinnie pressed enter and soon, the bike beeped.  
"That's weird… She's only a few blocks away from her house…"  
Ruby froze. Shit. Blaze.  
"My boss lives in the same neighborhood… Shit, she's probably after him!."  
"Let's ride!"

Kiwi just walked into the living room as if she was at home and saw a man sitting on the couch, watching tv and drinking some expensive looking whiskey. He still hadn't noticed her presence. She looked at him. He was about her father's age, with brown hair and a slender built. The clothes he was wearing looked very expensive. Time to meet the man who was responsible for destroying her life.  
"Hello, Blaze."  
Blaze almost fell off the couch and looked behind him. His eyes grew big. He recognized her, she could see it in his eyes. Her father probably had shown him some pictures of her, as the proud father he was.  
"I know you know who I am. I know everything. About the Shadow Hunters, about my father…"  
Blaze finally recovered a little and he jumped off the couch.  
"Kiwi. What the hell are you doing here?"  
Kiwi smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.  
"I came to talk."  
"But… how did you came in?" Blaze was looking around him, clearly searching for his phone.  
Kiwi held up the Iphone.  
"Are you looking for this?"  
Blaze paled.  
"What do you want?"  
"Like I said, I came to talk."  
"You can't just invade someone's house because you want to talk. You are trespassing. I can have you arrested for this."  
"Spare me the bullshit. You have no right, you hear me? You have no right to lecture me, after what you did."  
Blaze suddenly started to sweat and his breathing became heavier. Realization hit. Hard.  
"I eh… I have no idea what you're talking about…", he stuttered, his eyes still flying into every direction.  
"Oh yes, you do. You…", but Blaze suddenly tried to make a run for it. He jumped over the couch and wanted to run past her. He obviously underestimated her. She quickly tackled him with her foot and grabbed her gun. Blaze's head slammed against the floor when he landed and blood streamed down out of his nose. He moaned in pain, but when he saw the gun that was aimed at his head, he grew silent.  
"Do I have your attention now? You killed my parents. How could you do that?", Kiwi asked, her voice still toneless.  
She'd expected that her hand with the gun would be shaky, but it wasn't.  
"I had no choice, I…"  
"There's always a choice!", Kiwi spit out, her eyes fuming. "But you decided to take money from the Plutarkians. To stand by their side. You make me sick!"  
"How do you know about that?"  
"I already told you, I know everything. And you are the one who's responsible for my parents death. You broke me. You destroyed me. You made me shatter into a thousand pieces. I'm damaged. Did you thought about that, when you gave the order? What it would do to me?"  
Blaze his eyes filled with tears. He was sitting on his knees now, looking up at her.  
"God, Kiwi, I'm so sorry, I… It wasn't the intention. That you would survive. You were supposed to die with them… So you didn't have to live with this pain…"  
"Do you even hear yourself? You killed two innocent people, for money! And telling me I was supposed to die too, doesn't make me feel any better. You broke me. And now, I'm gonna break you. You need to pay for what you did…"

Kiwi clenched her teeth and aimed the gun at Blaze his head. Her finger was still on the safety bar, but when it slowly wanted to make its way to the trigger, the door flew open and the mice burst inside.  
"Kiwi, stop!", Throttle yelled, stopping death in his tracks when he saw what was going on, grabbing Modo and Vinnie at the same time.  
Kiwi didn't even look up. She was staring at the guy in front of her, who was crying and begging for his life now. But she still didn't feel anything. Only hate. Only pain. He needed to pay. That's how she was gonna find peace.  
She lay her finger on the trigger.  
"Kiwi, you don't wanna do this…", Throttle warned her, still standing on the same spot, his hands in front of his body.  
But Kiwi didn't listen. She didn't even hear him.  
Shit.  
How were they gonna make her stop? Shooting her, but that would be ridiculous. And she was a fine shooter. She had learned it from one of the best. What if she still had time to pull that trigger? For the first time since a very long time, Throttle was absolutely clueless how to stop this.  
Vinnie focussed on Kiwi. She was aiming the gun without shaking, the look on her face gave her away her determination. She really was gonna do this. But no matter how angry he was at her right now, he couldn't let her. It was gonna tear her apart. There was only one way to end this. He couldn't save Blaze. The guy was gonna die, no matter what. But he could try to save Kiwi. His girl. His girl who was completely taken over by her demons.  
"Is this what you want?", he asked, his voice low.  
Kiwi didn't respond.  
"ANSWER ME! Is this what you really want?"  
He saw her finger slowly bending around the trigger.  
"I'll take that as a yes, sweetheart", Vinnie sighed and he grabbed his gun, whirled it around his finger and in one movement, he aimed it at Blaze's head and pulled the trigger, right before Kiwi did.  
Blaze fell forward. He was already dead when his head made contact with the floor.  
A deadly silence.  
Throttle and Modo stared in shock at their younger bro, who put his gun back into his leg holster.  
Kiwi was still standing the same position, her eyes wide open. Her breathing was shallow and she slowly looked up at Vinnie, her lower lip trembling.  
"Why… Why would you do that?"

* * *

Oh Kiwi, why did you go after him in the first place? Gosh... And why is Vinnie doing this?

Puhlease review and thanks for reading my story!

Later guys!


	34. Chapter 33

You guys... thank you so much for the reviews. Really, thank you so much!

Alright, next chapter. It's by far the longest I ever wrote. And first, I thought I was gonna publish it in two chapters. But then I thought; why don't do it as one?  
As some kinda appreciation towards you guys. Because lemme give you guys some facts about this story...

It has 208.463 words so far, this chapter included (this chapter has 10.650 words).  
It has thirty three chapters.  
It has 4900 views in total.  
It has more than 400 visitors each month.  
It has 90 reviews.

It's crazy... and I gotta admit, guys... I'm kinda proud! And so happy you guys like it! Thank you so much for supporting me.

So, let's get to it. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty three**

"My girl, my responsibility."  
"W-what?"  
The anger on his face, the fury in his ruby red eyes, took her off guard. He was mad. No, he was furious. She could tell. She felt it. Her gun clattered on the floor. She stared at Vinnie, and it suddenly felt as if she woke up. She realized what was going on here. Jesus… Did she really just walk into someone's house to kill him? What the… She stared at the dead body of Blaze. But she didn't feel peace. She didn't feel satisfied. The pain was still there. Her parents were still gone. God… What had she done? Her legs suddenly couldn't hold her weight anymore and she fell down on her knees. Vinnie was right. It didn't make any difference.  
Ruby suddenly ran inside, pushing Modo and Throttle outta her way. The mice had ordered her to wait outside, to keep her safe. But when she'd heard the gunshot, she just couldn't just wait and to nothing. She froze when she saw Blaze. Then, she saw Kiwi sitting on her knees, tears streaming over her face. Her gun was lying next to her.  
"No, Kiwi… Oh my god, what have you done?"  
Kiwi didn't react.  
Throttle gave himself a mental shake. They needed to get the hell outta here. The police was probably already on its way. He came into movement and kneeled down next to Kiwi.  
"Kiwi, listen to me. Is there any way the police can trace this back to you?"  
Kiwi thought about it, but then shook her head.  
"Good. We need to go. Now."  
But Kiwi didn't move. Vinnie sighed irritated and pushed Throttle aside. He wrapped his strong arms around Kiwi and lifted her. He walked outside and Throttle followed them. Ruby was still staring at Blaze, shock written on her face. Modo gently took her hand.  
"You okay?"  
"I eh… He was my boss. My friend. I don't know what's harder to process, the fact he killed two innocent people or the fact Kiwi killed him."  
"It wasn't Kiwi."  
Ruby's head jerked up and she looked at Modo.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Well, maybe it was Kiwi who's responsible for this, but it was Vinnie who pulled the trigger…"  
"WHAT?"  
"Yeah, I know. Come on, we need to go."  
Ruby nodded and after one more look at Blaze, she took a deep breath and left the house, followed by Modo.

When they came home, they could hear sirens in the distance. Just like Throttle had though, a gunshot in this kinda neighbourhood wasn't something that happened every day. Someone must have called the police. He looked at Vinnie, who dropped Kiwi on the couch. The poor girl was still in shock. Throttle was too. He saw his younger bro wanted to leave the room. Of course he wanted. He knew what was next. But this time, he wasn't gonna get away with it so easily. Throttle grabbed him by the arm and pushed him on the couch next to Kiwi.  
"You're not going anywhere, Vincent. We're gonna talk, and that's final."  
The tone in Throttle's voice said it all. There was no other choice than to obey.  
Modo, Throttle and Ruby also sat down, all looking at Vinnie. Throttle with a serious look on his face, Modo with some kind of desperate look and Ruby with interest.  
"What?", Vinnie asked, trying to sound nonchalant. But his tail was showing how nervous he really was.  
Throttle closed his eyes for a moment, to make sure he wasn't gonna lose his cool. Honestly, only Vinnie could ask 'what?' after shooting someone in the head.  
Vinnie flinched and then sighed.  
"I couldn't let her pull that trigger, bro…"  
"So you decided to do it."  
"Obviously. Listen, she was gonna do it. I saw it in her eyes. There was no way we could've save the guy. But I… I just didn't want it to be her who did it…"  
Kiwi looked up, her eyes swollen and red.  
"You're talking as if I'm not here, I…", but Vinnie shook his head in anger.  
"Stop talking. I told you. I warned you for this. But you didn't listen and decided to go, behind my back, on some kinda killer mission. Jesus, sweetheart, what were you thinking?"  
Kiwi shrunk. He was right. She betrayed them all. And for what?  
"Then why did you pull that trigger?", she whispered.  
"Because no matter how mad I am at you right now, I still love you, doll. And I didn't want you to carry another burden next to ones that already exist. So, I decided to carry it for you…"  
Kiwi breathed in sharply. God, she felt so awful. She betrayed him. And he still did everything to protect her. To keep her safe. The guilt was almost too much right now. And the shame. And she had no idea what to say right now. Nobody did.

Ruby slowly rose on her feet and pulled Kiwi off the couch.  
"Come on, you need sleep and the guys obviously need to talk. Let's go." And she dragged Kiwi with her upstairs.  
Throttle was looking at Vinnie, searching for words. Vinnie gritted his teeth.  
"If you want me to say sorry, I'm not. I'd do it again if I have to."  
"I'm not mad at you, Vincent. I can understand where you're coming from. This isn't your fault. If someone's to blame, it would be Kiwi. Or me…"  
Modo looked at his tan furred bro, disbelief written on his face.  
"What? Throttle, this ain't your fault, bro, come on…"  
"Well, I was the one who forbid her to go after him. I should've known that would only stimulate her to do so…", and he gave Vinnie a meaningful look. Since Kiwi had so many resembles with his white furred bro, he should've known it would only have the opposite effect.  
"That just ain't right, bro ", Modo said, shaking his head. "Kiwi made her choice."  
"And so did I. The big fella is right. This has nothing to do with you, so stop blaming yourself", Vinnie added. It would kill him if Throttle was gonna feel guilty about this. That would be something. Jesus, what a mess…  
Throttle sighed.  
"Are you gonna be able to handle all this, Vincent?"  
"Hey! No sweat, sweetheart. It ain't the first time I…", but Vinnie quickly shut his mouth. Shit. He so didn't want to say that out loud.  
"The first time you kill someone cold blooded?", Throttle filled in.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes. It was sometimes so annoying how well his tan furred bro knew him.  
"Right. So, no biggie. I'll be fine."  
"You never told us", Modo stated out.  
"No, didn't seem that important…", Vinnie mumbled, staring at the ceiling.  
"Who was it?", Throttle asked bluntly.  
Vinnie shrugged. He was so not comfortable with this. But he knew he needed to give his bro's some answers.  
"The bastard that killed my parents by blowing up my house…"  
Throttle breathed in sharply. It all made sense now. Why Vinnie knew so well to tell Kiwi it wasn't gonna make any difference. Why he was so against her going after Blaze. He had the same experience. It obviously left its scars, even if the white furred mouse was acting like he didn't care.  
"When did that happen?", Modo wondered.  
"Before I met you guys. Right before Stoker found me."  
"But that means… you were only 16…"  
"Yeah? So?"  
Modo stared at him. Yeah. So what? Vinnie was right. War turned you into a killer within one second, no matter how old you were. But that didn't mean it was normal. Because it wasn't.  
"Nobody deserves to make that kind of decision and carry the consequences when he's 16, Vin. You can pretend you don't care, but we know you'll do…", Modo eventually said.  
Vinnie sighed annoyed.  
"Gosh, bro's, come on. It happened 10 years ago. What do you want me to say?"  
Throttle studied his bro. He was close to his breaking point. But maybe that was a good thing. You know, maybe he needed to break, just for once. To let it all out. So, he decided to push him a little further.  
"It obviously did something to you. You warned Kiwi for it. It would tear you up. Your own words, Vincent."

Vinnie's tail started to twitch. His fur bristled. His eyes narrowed. His breathing became heavier. All the classic signs he was almost losing control. Modo saw it too and looked at Throttle, and the tan furred mouse gave him a little nodd. Modo looked at his younger bro again. He hated it to see him like this. But he needed to understand they were there for him, not matter what. That he could talk to them. To make the burden less heavy. That he didn't had to carry all this shit on his own. That they could help him carry it.  
"It's okay to admit it broke you, Vincent."  
That's it. Enough is just enough. And Vinnie snapped. The white furred mouse jumped at his feet, his eyes fuming.  
"You guys just don't know when to stop, now do you? What do you want me to say? The truth? That it indeed broke me? Well, it didn't! Sure, it fucked me up, big time. But the look in his eyes, right before I pulled that trigger, didn't break me. To see his head explode and getting his blood all over me, didn't break me. Knowing it wasn't even a Plutarkian, but a fucking Martian Mouse who killed his own people, my parents, only to save his sorry ass, didn't break me. Losing my parents, didn't break me. Losing my home, didn't break me. Losing some of my best friends, didn't break me. What almost broke me, was losing Harley. But the big winner here is Jester. He's the one who can pronounce proudly he broke the great Vinnie van Wham. Who managed to break my already cracked soul. Is that what you wanted to hear? You have any idea how it feels to completely get lost? To lose yourself? To think back at who you were before the war and you even can't remember? Well, I do. And it sucks, big time…"  
Vinnie's voice broke and he dropped back on the couch, taking a few deep breaths. He squeezed his eyes and only one tear made it out before he got himself back under control. He roughly wiped off his face and looked at his bro's.  
"You guys always want me to talk about how I feel. About the things I did. About the things that happened to me. But you need to understand one thing; I just can't… Because if I do, if I'll let my emotions in, they take over and… and they consume me… the darkness consumes me. You can't… You just can't ask me to do that. It's too much, okay?" He whispered the last words, almost ashamed to say these words out loud. It made him sound weak. But it was the truth. The darkness followed him everywhere, but by living his life the fullest, by living on the edge, he kept it away. Blowing up things, endangering his life, laughing at danger... It was his way of coping. And it was time his bro's were gonna respect that.  
Throttle rubbed his chin, looking at his younger bro. Maybe he was right. Maybe they needed to accept that everyone has his own way how to deal with certain things. Vinnie had kept too much inside for too long. He could understand it was gonna flood him, completely wash him away if he let it all out now. He looked at Modo and he saw the gray furred giant was thinking the same. The tan furred mouse took a deep breath.  
"You're right, Vin… I just wanna say; I know how it feels to lose yourself. I guess Modo does too…", and he looked at the big fella, who nodded back. Throttle continued. "I also did things I'm not proud of. I lost my way more times than you'll guys know. Losing my parents was almost too much. This whole war… it's sometimes hard to believe how much damage it causes, and I'm not talking about Mars right now. But, well.. I just want you to know, that we know, you know?"  
Throttle smiled sheepishly when he realized what he was saying.  
Vinnie's lips curled into a small smile too, only at one side.  
"I know. That you know. You know."  
They looked at each other and started laughing. For a moment, it felt as if they were just three friends who were having a good time. Without all the pain. All the misery. But soon, the laughing slowly died.  
"Throttle is right, Vin. I now understand why you don't talk about it, but ya know… You don't have to carry everything on your own all the time. We're not here to judge you. Only to help you. We're friends. Bro's. Family. Always."  
Vinnie bit on his lower lip, a mischievous glance in his eyes.  
"Wow, that's deep, bro. And cheesy… But yeah, I'll get the point. One for all…"  
"All for one", his bro's finished in unison.  
Right at that point, Ruby came into the room.  
"Wauw, guys, honestly... ", she said, shaking her head. "Quoting movies now?"  
"Hey! It's not just a quote, sweetheart. It's just the way things are", Vinnie protested and Throttle and Modo shared a quick smile. Good talk. It cleared the air between them. Everything made sense now.  
And now, they needed to think about what to do with Kiwi.  
"Kiwi's asleep, but to be honest, guys, I don't know what to do…", Ruby sighed, as if she could read the mice their minds. She dropped on the couch, a tired look on her face.  
"Let her sleep for now. I'll stay with her tonight and when she wakes up, I'll talk to her", Vinnie told her.  
Ruby looked at him. Her heart felt sore when she saw his face. Poor guy. She was so grateful for him pulling that trigger, as weird as that may sound. But she knew he was probably way more capable to handle it than Kiwi was.  
"Look, bouncing ball… I mean… Vinnie, I know we don't always get along, but… thank you. For doing this for her. You must love her very much... "  
Vinnie blushed.  
"I eh… yeah, eh… Yeah. I do. Love her. Very much."  
She made him nervous, she suddenly realized. She gently lay a hand on his arm.  
"She needs you. I know you're angry at her, but she needs you."  
"And I'll be there for her. After kicking her ass, I'll be there for her. No sweat, sweetheart", and he winked at Ruby.  
She smiled. She could understand why Kiwi liked him so much. His boyish charm, his loyalty… She glanced at Modo. Vinnie saw her looking and shook his head with a smile.  
"Alright, you mamma jammers. I'm done with the mushy talk. See you guys tomorrow." And he walked up the stairs. His smile vanished when he opened Kiwi's door. He softly closed it and stopped next to the bed. Kiwi was fast asleep. He sighed heavily and took off his shoes, pants and bandoliers. He crawled next to her, but kept his distance. After sighing heavily again, he closed his eyes.  
What a day. What a fucked up day.

A loud scream. Nails scratched his arm. A elbow in his stomach. Vinnie's eyes flew open and he jerked upright. What the…  
Another scream. He flattened his ears. Jesus. He looked next to him.  
Kiwi was twisting and turning, hitting around her and screaming loudly. He tried to reach out to her, but her hand punched him full on his nose. Tears jumped in his eyes because of the mean pain that jolted through his nose and when he touched it, he saw blood on his fingers. Oh man, come on… Talk about a deja vu. He whirled his tail around her waist to hold her and in one movement, he jumped on top of her and grabbed her hands, pushing them against the mattress.  
"Sweetheart, wake up…", but Kiwi didn't hear him. Okay. Time for some more drastic measures. He quickly let one hand go, dodged her fist and slapped her in the face. Perhaps a little harder than he intended to in the first place. But dammit, he was still mad at her. She breathed in sharply and her eyes flew open. She stared at Vinnie, who stared back with fuming eyes.  
"You awake?", he snapped at her.  
"Yeah, I eh… you're bleeding…", she suddenly said when she saw his nose.  
"Yeah, you pack a serious punch, doll", Vinnie answered shortly and let her go. He sat down next to her, leaning against the wall, his pillow tucked behind his back. Kiwi slowly got upright too and settled cross legged across him. She touched her cheek, that was burning and tingling at the same time.  
"Did you just hit me?"  
Vinnie looked at her, almost challenging.  
"Yeah, I did. You wouldn't wake up and since you were almost trying to kill me in your sleep… well... And I gotta admit… It somehow felt very satisfying."  
Kiwi lowered her eyes. Shit. He was still mad at her. Not that she could blame him. She had hoped he would be cooled down a little bit by now. But clearly, he wasn't. Then why was he in her bed, sleeping next to her? Mabye… Maybe things weren't completely lost yet.  
"Vinnie, I don't know what to say, I'm…", but Vinnie held up his hand and his tail lashed through the air.  
"Shut up. Really, shut your damn mouth. Do you have any idea what you've done? How could you do this, behind our backs? How could betray us like that? Betray me like that? Really, I wanna know. Because I'm completely lost over here."  
His voice. Jesus, he was furious. She fiddled with the blanket, avoiding his look. She couldn't look at him. The anger, the disappointment and most of all the pain in his eyes, it was too much.  
"I thought I needed to do this to finally find some peace. So I was gonna be able to move on with my life. But I was wrong. I should've listened to you. It doesn't make any difference."  
"No shit."  
"Vinnie, I needed to find out by myself, I…"  
"No. Are you even listen to yourself right now? I told you, because I know. Not because I read it somewhere of learned it from a fucking shrink, no, I know. I made the same mistake. My parents were killed too, ya know. I tracked the bastard down and blew his fucking head off. I was trying to stop you from making the same mistake, but you just didn't listen…"  
Kiwi looked up. He never told her.  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
"HONESTLY, why is everyone… never mind. Sweetheart, you know why I didn't tell you. The same reason you never talk about what's bothering you. I just CAN'T. The things I said to you… I crossed my own lines. I opened up a lot more than I actually wanted, than I actually could, but I did it so I could stop you from making the same mistake. But you… You just…"  
His voice broke.  
Kiwi's heart broke at the same time. Oh dear. Oh my dear god. She had broke his heart. She could hear it in his broken voice. Kiwi wanted to touch him, to hug him, but something in her told her he it was the last thing he wanted right now. So, she grabbed her legs and hugged herself, tears streaming over her face.  
"I trusted you…", he whispered with a hoarse voice.  
She looked him in his watery, ruby red eyes, her own eyes wide open.  
"I trusted you, I gave you your space. I even lied to Throttle. And you betrayed me. You went behind my back, you risked your own life, without telling me. What if you… What if Blaze was having a gun… Jesus, he could've killed you. I could've lost you…"  
Kiwi couldn't hold herself any more. She crawled on top of him, wrapped her arms around him and buried her nose in his fur. After a little hesitation, Vinnie also wrapped his strong, muscular arms around her. He held her tightly, his chin leaning on her head. She could hear his heart beating fast. His breathing was a little shaken. She gave him some time to grab himself together. Because she knew he didn't want to break down. Not now. Not ever.

After a few minutes, he felt calmer. She slowly let him go, but remained on his lap. She lay her hands against his cheeks.  
"Vinnie, there are no words to describe how sorry I am. I made a terrible mistake, I was selfish, I was stubborn… And for what? You were right. The pain is still there. God… Is there anything I can do… is there even a change you can forgive me? Maybe not now, but later?"  
Vinnie bit on his tongue to stop himself from saying something stupid and sexist and thought about it. But his love for her overruled his anger. His disappointment. His cracked heart. There was no way he was gonna be able to live without this beautiful human being that was sitting on his lap right now.  
Selfish indeed.  
And he knew she was sorry. He just hoped she learned her lesson now. This wasn't a game. This was real life.  
"I can think of some things you can do to speed up the process, doll", he winked at her, but then he grew serious again. "Because it's gonna take me some time. But I think I'll be able to forgive you. One day."  
"That's fair enough…", she whispered and she slowly bend forward. She still wasn't sure where she was standing right now. But he claimed her mouth and kissed her. Roughly. Wildly She felt her lower lip split open when he bit in it. He quickly broke off the kiss.  
"Sorry, I can't do this right now. I'm too upset, I need to blow off some steam first, otherwise I'm gonna hurt you. And I don't want that."  
Kiwi sucked on her lip and nodded.  
"It's okay. We got all the time in the world. Right?" and she looked at him with a hopeful glance.  
He looked down at her, that arrogant smile curled his lips and he winked at her.  
"Right."  
Relief flooded through her veins. And she knew. Things weren't completely lost yet.  
"Thank you.. For pulling that trigger. I shouldn't have brought you into that position in the first place, I know, but thank you. You're right. I'm not strong enough to carry that burden."  
"Like I said… the things I do for love…" and he gently lay her down next to him.  
"Come on, sweetheart. Time to sleep."  
"Yeah… You stay with me?"  
"Only tonight." He threw the blanket over both of them and pulled her against him with her back against his strong torso.  
"Night, doll", he whispered sleepy.  
"Night, love", she whispered back.  
But then...  
"Vinnie?"  
"Hmmm?"  
"Maybe I… Can we just… I want you… I don't care if you maybe lose control. Or that you too upset. Or if you hurt me… I just want…"  
"No, you don't. I don't. Go to sleep, sweetheart."  
A short silence.  
"Vinnie?"  
"Hmmm?"  
"I love you…"  
A long silence.  
"I love you too…"  
Kiwi smiled in the dark and closed her eyes.  
"Night, Vinnie."  
"Night… Kiwi."

The knife cut open her flesh. Blood splattered all over him. It was warm. Like a warm shower. The look in her eyes nailed him to the ground. Fear. Determination. He saw her beautiful black eyes, her always twinkling eyes, slowly became empty. The glance disappeared, when her soul left her body. Leaving only a shell behind. A shell of a once great, sweet and caring person. She slowly fell forward and landed on the floor with a bang. Blood was still streaming out of the wound. Out of her throat, that was slid open like a knife cutting through butter. He looked at the Plutarkian and the smile on the fish his face made him sick to the stomach. Suddenly, his eye flew open and Modo jerked upright. He looked around him, but only saw the white walls of his room. No blood. No dead body. No Plutarkian…  
"Oh Cami…", the gray furred giant sighed and he slowly climbed outta his bed. He needed some fresh air. He pulled on a warm sweater and sweatpants and opened his door. He saw Vinnie's door was open. Oh right, he was with Kiwi. Throttle's door was closed and he heard his bro and leader softly snoring through the door. It sounded like he was having a calm night. That's good. He could use that. Modo walked outside and took a few deep breaths. He looked at the big house across the yard and saw the light in the kitchen was on. He decided to take a look. When he walked inside, his heart skipped a beat. It was Ruby. Drinking wine. In only a bathrobe. Oh momma…  
She looked up when she heard the door and when she saw it was him, she gave him a warm smile.  
"Hey big guy… Couldn't sleep either?"  
"No, nightmare…" and he sat down next to her.  
There was a silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable.  
"Kiwi told me about Cami. I'm sorry, Modo. I really am."  
Modo shuffled with his feet under the table.  
"Me too", he sighed. "I dreamed about her death. How she got killed right in front of me. But it felt somehow different. As if… As if I'm ready to move on… Or something like that…", and he blushed, glancing at Ruby from the corner of his eyes. She lay her hand on his metal hand.  
"There's nothing wrong with moving on, Modo. We can't keep living in the past, talking to ghosts."  
Her voice sounded different. He heard pain in it.  
"You eh… you lost someone too? Well, next to Kiwi's father, of course", he quickly added.  
Ruby stared at her wine glass and drank it empty.  
"Yeah, I lost my husband and son…"  
Modo's breathed in sharply.  
"You were married? And having a kid?"  
Ruby nodded, a sad smile on her face.  
"Weird, right? I was 18 when I got married. He was my high school sweetheart and knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him from the moment I saw him. I got pregnant when I was 20 and became a mom on my 21th. My husband was a general in the army. Life wasn't always easy. He sometime was gone for more than six months. And everytime when he came back, it felt as if he left a small piece of himself behind in Afghanistan. The war was slowly consuming him. Well, I suppose you know how it feels. When our son was three years old, he came back from his latest mission and I saw it in his eyes, he…"  
She stopped for a moment, grabbing the bottle of wine and took a big sip.  
"He just wasn't my husband anymore. He was someone else. The war had broke him…"  
Modo felt his heart break a little.  
"So that's why you know so well about PTSS?", he asked carefully.  
"Yeah. And he was far more gone than that white furred bouncing ball. He saw danger everywhere, was convinced we were followed by Taliban, that they wanted to blow up our house, etcetera. One night, he lost it. I was at work. I still don't know exactly what happened, but he took my son, our son, in the middle of the night and left with the car. Probably in panic. On the highway, he lost control and the car crashed. Both gone, in just one minute…"  
"Oh momma… Ruby, I'm so sorry… Losing a child is by far the most awful thing that can happen to you… To a mother... "  
Modo raised his hand and wiped away her tears. She leaned against his hand and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she took another sip of the wine.  
"We all have our own stories. Our own tragedies…. It defines us… It make us who we are right now..."

They talked the whole night. Ruby drank way too much and after two hours, Modo needed to carry her to bed. He walked up the stairs with her in his arms and lay her in bed in her room. The room next to Kiwi's. Ruby opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked back. He slowly bent forward and kissed her. She kissed him back and pulled him on top of her. But Modo stopped her.  
"You're drunk, Ruby. Go to sleep…", he whispered.  
Ruby shook her head.  
"No… I want this. I want you. I need you…"  
Modo's eye grew big. The strong, independent Ruby was telling him she needed him. Wow…  
He felt a warm feeling inside of him. And he knew he was ready to move on. Not that he was gonna forget about Cami, no, never. He was gonna carry her with him the rest of his life. But Ruby was right. Time to move on instead of keep looking at the past. Don't let ghosts from the past stop you from living in the present. He kissed her again and she slowly took off his clothes. He suddenly felt insecure. That stupid arm… But she shook her head.  
"You're beautiful, Modo. Relax…" and her fingers followed the lines of his muscles. He was perfect.  
But Modo had a hard time doing so. It was so long ago and his arm, his eye, his… she claimed his mouth and kissed him with so much heat, he suddenly forgot everything and he kissed her back, taking off her bathrobe. He broke off the kiss and looked at her. She was gorgeous. Musculair. Slim. Skin with the colour of milk, but so soft.  
They made love. Tenderly. Softly. Gently. And shortly. It was just too long ago and Modo couldn't hold himself any longer. With a blush on his cheeks, he lay down next to her. She looked at him and smiled.  
"It's okay, Modo. Really. Next time will be different. But this was already amazing…", she whispered, her eyes closed. And soon, she was snoring softly, her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and let out his breath. Oh momma. What a woman.

A few weeks past. Blaze his death was all over the news, but the police was standing in the dark. Kiwi had done a good job. There was no way they were gonna find out what really happened.  
Kiwi was slowly recovering from all the events. But she couldn't had done it without Vinnie. He was standing by her side, helping her get through the nights with nightmares, helping her deal with the shame and guilt. Because deep down, she knew Blaze his blood was on her hands. Even if Vinnie had pulled the trigger, it was her who'd started this in the first place. But there was no way she could turn back time. So, she needed to live with the consequences. But as long as she had Vinnie, she would manage. The white furred mouse still kept his distance, but at least he was there for her. And she knew he just needed some time. She had damaged his trust. And only time could heal these wounds.  
Ruby was still staying with them. For some reason, she just refused to go back home. But Kiwi knew why. The reason was a certain friendly, gray furred teddy bear, who'd managed to break down her walls and oh boy, they were in love, alright. Kiwi was happy for both of them. They deserved it. They deserved each other. The red headed woman had told her she had a new boss. It was a woman, who was kind and loyal. No way she was the kinda person who would take money from a alien that wanted to destroy the whole planet. At least that problem was solved now. Maybe the only good thing that came out this horrible events.  
Throttle was his usual, calm self. But Kiwi saw in his eyes how much he missed Carbine. And that broke Kiwi's heart. She just wished the general could be with them too. For Throttle. Carbine's portable transporter made it possible to write letters. But Kiwi wanted so much more for them. So, she was trying to get it done. In secret, she was working on a communication centre and she hoped, with some help of the portable transporter, she could manage to get contact with Mars. So Throttle could see his girl, talk to his girl... whenever he needed to. It wasn't the same than being with each other, but it was something. And much more than writing letters. It was a difficult job. But she hoped she was gonna succeed one day.

"Ugh, where is the action?", Vinnie sighed heavily, hanging on the couch in the guesthouse in a position his bro's were kinda impressed he didn't pull a muscle or something like that.  
"Yeah, it's been a while since we heard something from that butter ball…", Modo wondered out loud.  
Throttle looked up from his letter he was writing to Carbine.  
"Why don't we go on a patrol in about ehm... let's say a hour? You guys are right, it's been way too quiet... "  
The words just left his mouth when Vinnie jumped up to protest, since even one hour was taken too long, but then his face twitched.  
"AUTJS!"  
"What?", Modo asked, looking at his white furred bro, who was rubbing his leg.  
"Pulled a muscle or something, dammit", Vinnie answered between clenched teeth.  
Ah, there it was. No surprise there.  
His bro's shared a quick look and smiled, rolling their eyes.  
Vinnie's face suddenly lit up and a mischievous smile curled his lips. He suddenly knew exactly how to get his bro's into action.  
Oh boy.  
"Now what?", Modo asked again, knowing that smile could only mean trouble.  
"Oh, I just figured I maybe need a massage… you know… I think my poor muscle needs the gently touch of a certain human girl…" Vinnie said softly with a low voice, wiggling his eyebrows. He closed his eyes and bit on his lower lip, still rubbing his leg.. "Hmmm, I never told you guys how soft Kiwi's hands are, right? I can already feel them all over…"  
Throttle threw the letter over his shoulder and jumped at his feet, at the same time Modo did.  
"Okay, that's enough. Let's go!", Throttle called out while almost running towards the door, followed by Modo. They so didn't want to hear this. God, no.  
Vinnie snickered. Was he good, or what? Time to whip some tail.

The girls were out tonight, seeing a movie. You know, to have some girl time.  
The mice had checked the whole city, but nothing seemed to be wrong. They decided to check the surrounding too and soon, they left the busy city behind them. Silence replaced the sirens, the car honks, people who were screaming… it was peaceful, actually. Or boring. Just depends on who you'd ask. Nothing seemed to be wrong here either, but suddenly, a flash of light caught their eyes.  
"Hey, is it just me or is it way too busy by that farm over there?", Vinnie asked, using his helmet to zoom in.  
He saw Greasepit standing next to a machine that was sucking the grain outta the silo that was standing on the property. The flash of light they saw was the machine sending the grain into space through a transporter that was inside the machine. Another machine was stealing the hay that was lying next to the silo. The rest of the goons, that weren't helping Greasepit, surrounded the whole thing, sitting in their buggies and keeping an close eye at the surrounding. Limburger and Karbunkle were watching the scene from above, standing on a small hill next to that hideous purple limousine.  
"Looks like we got ourselves a fish to catch, bro's", Vinnie smiled.  
"You're right. Let's ride!" and Throttle took the lead.

When they were close enough, they fired a rocket, which landed on the goons that were standing close by and a loud explosion made their presence known.  
"AAAAOOOWW, here come the heroes", Vinnie cheered when they jumped over the exploded buggies.  
The rest of the goons drove towards them and opened fire.  
Vinnie avoided a laser and sighed theatrically.  
"Ah man. We just don't seem to be getting through to this underlings…"  
"Well, only one thing to do then…", Modo smiled.  
"Go over their heads!", Throttle finished and they jumped over the buggies that were now close enough.  
But when they were high in the sky, their bikes suddenly got pulled away from under them.  
"What the…", and Modo looked over his shoulder. Three heavy chains with hooks had grabbed the rear tires of their bikes and pulled them down to the ground, handing the mice over to gravity.  
"Bye bye, Biker Mice…", Limburger waved at them and laughed evilly.  
The mice fell down, straight towards the machine that cut the hay before it was turned into a package. Three sharp looking saws whirled around fast, ready to cut the 'mieces' into tiny pieces.  
"Oh momma…"

Throttle quickly grabbed a grenade and pulled out the pin.  
"Modo! Set up!" and he threw the bomb to Modo. The big guy clenched his metal fist and smashed it straight into the machine. "Spike and point!"  
The explosion, again, was huge and because of the shockwave, the mice flew up again.  
"Aaaoowttjss!", Vinnie yelled when they landed in a huge pile of hay. The tip of his tail was on fire and he quickly blew it out.  
"Auutjss… My pride and joy…", he pouted.  
His bro's ignored him and Throttle grabbed his gun. Modo aimed his armcannon and they fired at the chains that were holding the bikes. The bikes revved their engines and drove towards their riders. The latter jumped off the hay and landed smoothly on their seats. But no time to relax. Greasepit and his goons were coming towards them, firing their laser. Throttle fired a rocket and Greasepit's trike exploded, making Greasepit fly through the air, screaming loudly. He landed in a pool of mud a couple of meters away.  
Modo and Vinnie quickly took care of the goons and they drove further.  
"Well, well, well. Check it out, bro's", Throttle suddenly said and he and his bro's hit the brakes. "The big cheese is running away", and he pointed at the purple limousine driving away from the farm on the country road.  
"Hahaha! Not for loooong", Vinnie laughed, pushing a button.  
"Yeah, let's smoke that cheese", Modo chuckled, also pushing a button. Throttle did the same and cannons popped out of the bikes.  
The tan furred leader held up his hand and looked at Modo first, then at Vinnie.  
"Alright, on three, bro's! One… Two…"  
BAM!  
A rocket left Vinnie's bike and his bro's stared at him.  
"Three…", Throttle finished.  
Vinnie blushed and smiled sheepishly, glancing at Throttle from the corner of his eyes.  
"Oops… Hehe…", he chuckled and moved his finger. "I gotta a itchy trigger finger…"  
Throttle rolled his eyes behind his glasses, but with a smile on his face. Modo slammed his hand against his forehead. Honestly…  
They looked in the distance, Vinnie still with a little blush on his cheeks. The rocket landed on the limousine and after a heavy explosion, Limburger and Karbunkle flew away, screaming loud.  
"Hahaha! Check it out, bro's! A flying fish!", Vinnie laughed.  
"Haha, yeah, not often see in this parts", Modo chuckled.  
"No, specially such a big fat one!", Throttle smiled.

"Cereal is back in the box, bro's", Throttle said, while shutting down the machine.  
"And just to make sure it stays there...", Vinnie smiled wickedly and he grabbed a grenade. He pulled the pin out and threw it inside the weird machine. They made a hasty retreat and drove away on the same road they came here, a loud explosion behind them.  
"It's just the right thing to do", Modo said with a farmer accent and they high fived, cheering loudly because of another victory. Vinnie popped a wheelie and howled happily. Enough explosions to blow off a little steam after all the events that happened a few weeks ago. He finally felt better. Still not as usual, but at least not as if he was a walking ticking time bomb anymore.

Kiwi was lying on the couch, watching the news. Modo and Vinnie were doing a little contest in arm wrestling, with Throttle as their referee, behind her. Ruby was at her work.  
Vinnie was clenching his teeth, using all his strength in a attempt to beat his older bro. But that was hard. Maybe he was the baddest mamma jammer of this side of the asteroid belt, Modo was strong. Very strong. But Vinnie didn't gave up that easily. No way.  
"Live from Kansas, the nation's hardland, where farmers are reporting mysterious disappearances of their entire crops."  
Kiwi jerked upright and turned up the volume.  
"Hey guys, check this out", she warned them, looking over her shoulder.  
Modo decided to end Vinnie's suffering, but because he used full force, his white furred bro flew away.  
"WOW!"  
With a loud bang, Vinnie crashed against the wall.  
"Hey!"  
Modo and Throttle ignored him and turned their attention to the tv, where a farmer girl was being interviewed, holding two cute looking pigs under each arm.  
"Don't know what happened. I came out to my field this morning and the whole thing was gone. All there's been left is the worst stink… Whoohie! Kinda like a mixture of rotten fish and dead skunk…"  
Vinnie had joined his bro's and Kiwi, still a little agitated because of the rough treatment of his bro. But when they heard the girl explaining the smell, they exchanged looks, everything already forgotten.  
"Limburger", they exclaimed in unison.  
"So that's why we haven't smelled him slinking around lately", Vinnie said, a way too happy look on his face.  
"Yeah, he's ripping off America's bread basket", Modo nodded.  
"That's not all, bro's. Check it out", Throttle said, pointing at the screen. A weird looking hot air balloon was floating above the fields, with the famous initials L.I. on it.  
"He's doing it from on high. In the air!"  
Vinnie leaned against Modo, a arm on the big guy's shoulder.  
"Well, I guess we should go pound the fins off of that fish faced flounder", he smiled, pretending to be nonchalant. But of course he wasn't.  
Modo looked down at his white furred bro,  
"Well, not that I don't like the idea, but… how exactly?"  
"Yeah, Modo is right, Vinnie. The big cheese is a thousand miles away and maybe a couple of miles off the ground…", Throttle agreed with Modo.  
Kiw rubbed her chin.  
"Well, I got a idea. It's a terrible idea. And dangerous…"  
Vinnie pushed Modo aside and stand between his bro's to face his girl.  
"Dangerous? Hahaha! You make it sound like there's a problem…"  
"Right… You guys have these wings on your bikes, right? Maybe you can strengthen them? So you guys can ehm… fly to Kansas. And fight Limburger in the air…"  
It sounded like a nightmare. So many things that could go wrong. But Vinnie was right, they needed to stop him. And they weren't that easily impressed by danger.  
The mice looked at each other, a smile on their faces.  
"That's a great idea, babe. Come on, bro's!" and Throttle dragged them to the garage.

"I dunno how you talk me into these things…", Kiwi sighed, sitting behind Vinnie with a parachute on her back.  
They were standing in the garage and the mice checked the last things on their bikes. Throttle had insisted that she would come along, since he, and his bro's also, didn't want her to be alone here while they were so far away. Even if Limburger was not here, they didn't want to take the risk. Modo had called Ruby to tell her they were gonna be gone for a couple of days. He didn't liked it to leave her behind, but she'd promised to take a extra couple shifts. She would be safe in the most secret place in Chicago. So, Modo could leave without a single worry about her safety. So he wasn't gonna be distracted when they were in the middle of a fight. In the air.  
"Sweetheart. It's still the safest way to travel", Vinnie grinned, putting on his helmet and starting his bike. His tail snaked around her waist.  
"With you, no travel is saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafe!", Kiwi suddenly screamed when Vinnie hit the accelerator and sped outta the garage.  
He pulled back his handlebars and they flew into air with dangerous speed. Kiwi wrapped her arms tightly around him, breathing heavily. Jesus, this was scary, alright. She was used to fly in a airplane. This was completely different. A lot less steady. And it didn't help the mice needed to test the wings, so they were making loopings, whirled around each other, up and down, upside down…  
" _Hoempapa, hoempapa, hoempapa"_ , Modo started to sing with his low voice.  
Oh god.  
" _Waaave light through the air, whipping tail in the breeze"_ , Throttle and Vinnie sang, while Modo continued his 'hoempapa.'  
Kiwi squeezed her eyes, but a smile curled her lips.  
" _Those daring Biker Mice singing 'citizens, ride free!"_ , Throttle sang while making a looping  
" _There movements are graceful…"  
_ " _All girls 'Vinnie, daft please'..."_ , Vinnie sang, making a corkscrew with his bike.  
 _(A/N; Not sure if this makes any sense, but it's very hard to understand what he sings. This is what I thought, but not sure it it's logical :p).  
_ " _Rocking and rollin' all the waaaay!"_ , Throttle and Vinnie finished the song together, while Modo let out his last 'hoempapa'.  
"Yeah!", Throttle called out.  
"AAAOOOW!", Vinnie cheered and they finally decided the wings were doing their jobs and started their journey to Kansas. Kiwi let out her breath.  
Pfew.  
She still was holding Vinnie tightly and he squeezed softly with his tail. It was the first time since he pulled that trigger, he somehow gave her any form of affection. She smiled. Finally. Things were slowly turning back into normal again. Her heart started to beat faster, desire ran through her veins. She suddenly wished this mission wasn't that far away from home. Now she had to wait. She needed him. She needed him to kiss her, to touch her, to make love to her… It was too long ago now. She slowly lay her hands flat against his abs, her finger following the lines of his muscles under his fur, down to his pants. She could feel him breathe in sharply and he lay a hand on her hers to stop her.  
"Sweetheart, as much as I like your way of thinking, before we are gonna do this, I really have one burning question; do you wanna crash? If not, I advice you to stop and keep your hands where they are right now…", he whispered into the radio with that low voice.  
It gave her goosebumps. It only fired her desire even more. But he was right. They were flying high in the sky. Not exactly the right place to distract him now.  
But still…  
When he let go off her hand to grab his handlebar again, she just continued the journey down with one finger. Vinnie clenched his teeth, but when the finger slowly made its way into his pants, the bike suddenly dropped a few meters. Kiwi screamed and her hand grabbed his waist again, to avoid she was gonna fly off.  
"Told ya, doll…", Vinnie said teasingly.  
Argh.  
He did that on purpose. He was such a teaser, this mouse. But she'd learned her lesson and the rest of the journey, she kept her hands on the same spot.

When they were close their goal, Vinnie cheered happily.  
"AAAOOWW! Now this is the way to travel" and he waved through the air.  
Kiwi had already noticed she was feeling more sick by the minute after flying this long. And that her pilot was one that flew the same way as he drove, namely wild, abrupt and more upside down than upright, didn't help.  
"Ugh. I knew I should've brought me some airsickness bags…", she moaned, holding her stomach.  
"Well, just hang tight to me, sweetheart. I'll get you there in one piece", and Vinnie winked at her over his shoulder.  
But suddenly, laser shots came outta the clouds above them and made three holes in his right wing.  
"Yiiaaoow!"  
His bike tilted to the right and Vinnie smiled sheepishly, looking at Kiwi, who now looked more terrified than ever.  
"Well… more or less", Vinnie chuckled.  
"Ehh… I think that flight plan just got altered, Vincent", Throttle said, pointing in front of them. A group of planes made their way towards them. "Cause we got grease benders at twelve o'clock!"  
They whirled down a few meters to avoid the shots.  
"Time to wring out these wings, bro's!", Throttle called out.  
"Testing them by fire!", Modo smiled.  
"Yeah!", Vinnie cheered, but then, he looked over his shoulder.  
"But first…" and he lifted Kiwi in the air with his tail. Her eyes grew big.  
"Vinnie, no, no, no, don't you dare! I can't…"  
"You can, sweetheart. No worries. And I'm sorry, but you really don't have a choice right now", and he gave her his most charming smile, right before he let her go. His tail quickly pulled on the rope and her parachute came out.  
Oh my god. She couldn't believe he just did that!  
"I'll get you for this, Vinnieeeeeeee!", she screamed when she fell down, but soon, the parachute caught wind and with a jerk, she flew up a few meters again.  
Pfew.  
At least the parachute did its work. But still. Jesus. What a teaser. Honestly… He was gonna pay for this, one way or another. She looked down.  
Wow.  
It was a loooong way down. Her whole body was shaking, but soon, she started to laugh. She just couldn't stop herself. This was crazy. Vinnie was crazy. But she was so grateful he was back to his usual, cheerful self. The last few weeks had been hard. For all of them. But they were all getting back on their feets. Well, she hoped she was… She bit her lower lip, looking down.  
Come on, Kiwi. What could possibly go wrong? She just was gonna float down, easy peasy. No biggie.

Meanwhile, the mice were followed by the planes, with Greasepit and goons behind the wheel.  
"Now, it's time to ROCK…", Throttle started and they all revved their bikes.  
"...and ROLL!"  
The bikes flew up and they flew higher and higher. Then, they made a looping and flew down again, opening fire and now faced towards the goons. A couple of planes exploded and the goons made a hasty retreat by using a parachute.  
"Yous flying rats ain't getting away with that!", Greasepit yelled angry. He popped up behind Vinnie, making more holes in his wings.  
"Hey, we've been Swiss cheesed…", Modo called out, looking at the holes in his own wings.  
"And grease dump is right on our tails…", Vinnie added, looking behind him.  
"Ah, don't you just hate tailgaters?", Modo asked, shaking his head.  
"Hey!", Throttle smiled, grabbing a grenade. "Let's toss 'em a warning", and after pulling out the pin, he threw the ticking bomb over his shoulder. Greasepit and the rest saw it coming and made a hasty retreat. The goons used their parachute, but Greasepit apparently had forgotten to bring his one and he screamed loud.

Vinnie followed him down with his eyes and suddenly saw Kiwi, who was still hanging in the air with her parachute. And Greasepit was falling right towards her…  
Shit.  
"Kiwi!", he yelled and turned his bike. At that point, Greasepit landed on the parachute, and because of his weight, the whole thing wrapped around and he fell down, right in front of Kiwi.  
"Huh?", but soon, she realized what was happening. A jerk on the ropes and she suddenly turned upside down, and she got dragged down with Greasepit.  
Oh no…  
"AAAAAAH!", she screamed, squeezing her eyes. But suddenly, a roar of a engine and relief flooded through her veins. Vinnie quickly caught up with her and lit a flair.  
"Hang on, doll." He burned the ropes and grabbed Kiwi by the waist.  
"Heeeeyy, sweetheart!", he smiled with that arrogant smile of his. "I bet you get awful tired of me saving your ass all the time…"  
Kiwi climbed in front of him with shaking legs.  
"Drop me again, sweetheart", she said sarcastic. "...and it's your life that needs saving…", she threatened, grabbing him by the bandana.  
But Vinnie wasn't impressed and he gave her a naughty smile.  
"Promises, promises…", and he wiggled his eyebrows.  
Kiw rolled her eyes, but her lips curled into a smile at the same time. She just couldn't be mad at him.  
He helped her sitting behind him again. His bro's joined him.  
"Come on, bro's! We'll better touch down and get this flight rides repaired, pronto like!"  
Throttle's husky voice filled their helmets through the radio.  
Kiwi looked down, somehow worried.  
"But what about Greasepit?", she asked. Wait, what? He was the enemy. Why was she concerned anyway?  
"Oh, don't worry, babe. He'll be okay", Throttle smiled.  
"Yeah, he's about to have a family reunion", Modo added.  
Kiwi looked down again and focussed on the small dot. By the looks of things, he landed in a big pile of mud, right in the middle of a group of pigs.  
Ah. She smiled. Right where he belonged.

Luckily, they mice found a scrap yard closeby and quickly made new wings at the bikes, using stronger material this time.  
Kiwi was watching them, rubbing her chin. A idea was slowly forming in her head.  
"Hey, listen guys, I've been thinking about a few improvements that maybe makes your chances bigger and…", but Vinnie interupted her.  
"Well, I wish you could improve the radio reception. All I get out here is that drippy country western love songs… Ugh…" He wrinkled his nose.  
"And here's a warning for all you farmers out there. The mysterious crop disappearances have started up again…" a voice came out Vinnie's speakers, before he shut down the radio.  
"Ah man… Sounds like old slimy and stinky have resumed their sleezed operation", Throttle sighed annoyed, screwing the last screw tightly.  
"That means we gotta fly", Modo agreed.  
"Bingo." Throttle closed his visor. "Afterburners on full, bro's!"  
They revved their bikes, and flames came outta the backs of their bikes.  
"It's time to ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"  
They took off, leaving Kiwi safely on the ground this time. She was still rubbing her chin.  
"Hmmm.. maybe I need to work out that plan. Ya know, just in case…"

The mice spotted the same planes as earlier, again with Greasepit and goons.  
"Man, talk about a deja vu", Vinnie smiled and they opened fire. A couple of planes exploded.  
"AAAOOWW! Two more and I'm the ace of aces!", Vinnie cheered, patting his bike. "Of course, for me, that's just formality", he smiled arrogant.  
"Whip tail, bro's!", Throttle laughed and fired, along with his bro's. The goons weren't up against that heavy firepower and made a hasty retreat, right before their planes exploded.  
"Two more!", Modo laughed, and they followed the last two planes.  
"Oooohh yeah! Those magnificent man…", he started to sing, but Vinnie interrupted him.  
"They're mice!"  
Modo laughed out loud. "Oh, right."  
Vinnie laughed too. Man, this was one awesome day.  
"Hahaha, talk about flying the highway! No traffic lights, no stop signs, no speed bumps, no cops… Aaaoww, I may never travel surface streets again…" and he fired a laser at the last two planes. He missed because they suddenly split up and a huge missile appeared between them. The thing exploded close by the mice and they needed to split up for a moment to avoid they were gonna be blown to the seventh galaxy.  
"WOW!"  
They quickly joined each other again and Vinnie suddenly saw something in the distance…  
"What the heck is that…?"  
"That, Vincent my bro, is what I would call trouble from Limburger City…", Throttle answered.  
A huge plane came into view with more weapons on it the mice had in their possession, even when they included Vinnie.  
"Big trouble…"  
They tried to attack the plane, but the returning firepower was too much and they quickly turned around. But the plane didn't stop firing.  
"Wow, serious turbulence!", Vinnie cheered, looking over his shoulder.  
Modo did the same.  
"Let's see if I can smooth it out some", and he shot over his shoulder with his armcannon. It hit the plane, but it did nothing. "No good…"  
"Ah man, that thing is covered in Plutarkian armor plate!", Throttle yelled.  
The only thing Modo had accomplished with his attempt, was that the plane, that had Karbunkle behind the controls, only doubled its firepower. Laser, rockets, explosions…  
"Aaaooww, stay calm, folks", Vinnie laughed, having the time of his life. He was whirling and waving to avoid the shots. "Air captain Vinnie has everything under…" A huge rocket exploded and surrounded him with fire. "... control…", Vinnie coughed. "Ah man… major bummer…"  
Suddenly, they heard Kiwi's voice in their helmets.  
"Guys, haul those tails of ya back here!"  
Modo looked at Throttle.  
"Sounds like a plan to me."  
"Let's do it, bro's. Back to base."  
Vinnie snickered.  
"I love it when she talks to us like that, hehehe."

They landed and pulled off their helmets, shaking their heads.  
"Oh momma… all these explosions ain't good for your eardrums, I tell ya that…", Modo moaned, rubbing his ears.  
"Great, ain't it?!", Vinnie smiled.  
Throttle looked at Kiwi.  
"Tell me, babe, what's the plan?"  
Kiwi smiled and showed them a drawing on her laptop.  
"I thought, if you guys can build this, you're gonna nail them for sure. Speed, muscle and firepower..."  
"Wooow, sweetheart… I like the way you think!", Vinnie howled when he looked at the image. It was some kinda plane made out of one piece, with three holes for the bikes. Big weapons on the top made the picture complete.  
"You think you can build that?", Kiwi asked.  
"You're looking at the three best wrench jockeys from Mars, babe. Sure we can", Throttle smiled and they got to work. Kiwi shook her head. Of course. Ask a silly question... Was there even something they weren't good at? Pfuh...

After a few hours, they had it done. The mice sat on their bikes, smiling like three happy kids. Kiwi smiled too, but then her face grew serious and she looked at Vinnie.  
"There might be one small problem…"  
"What?"  
"It's a big engine. It burns a lot of fuel…"  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yeah and that means…", Kiwi quickly looked at her calculations again. "...you got about three minutes of fly time…"  
"So?"  
"So make them count."  
"Hmmm, let's see now. Three minutes to trash the bad guys, blow up everything in sight, get the stolen grain back to the farmers and save the whole state of Kansas?", Modo summed up.  
A short silence.  
"No problem!", the mice said in unison.  
Kiwi shook her head with a smile.  
"Whip tail, heroes!"  
"Man your guns bro's!", Throttle ordered and pushed a button. His bro's did the same and fire came outta their bikes and the plane. They hit the accelerator and took off again. Hopefully for the last time. It was time to end this, once and for all.

When they were up in the air again, again, the planes with Greasepit and goons were their first target. They opened fire and the planes exploded. Vinnie took a deep breath.  
"Ah one, ah two, ah one, two, three, four…"  
Modo caught on and started singing.  
" _Rock and ride…"  
_ " _Over the wild blue yonder…"_ , Vinnie and Throttle joined him.  
" _Whipping tail outta the sun!"  
_ "Two, three, four", Throttle counted.  
" _Here we come, loaded with Martian thunder… Atta mice, give 'em our guns, give 'em our guns!"  
_ They laughed hard, having a good time with each other. Nothing better than a good fight for a little male bonding.

The big plane with Karbunkle popped up in front of them and opened fire. The mice pulled back their handlebars and flew right over it. They flew further, made a looping and flew behind the massive plane now, opening fire at full force.  
"AAAOOW! Try to fight this message, doc!", Vinnie cheered.  
They kept firing and firing, giving Karbunkle no chance to return it. The plane caught fire.  
"We're doing it! Biker Mice of the stratosphere! AAAOOWW!"  
Vinnie was almost hysterical, bouncing on his bike. This day was getting better and better.  
Throttle smiled, but then he looked at the fuel meter.  
"I eh… I don't mean to bring you down, Vincent, but eh… we're running on empty…"  
"Warm up is over. Gotta go for the gold, bro's", Modo added.  
"All the marbles", Throttle nodded.  
"Rabbit speed, aaaoow!", and Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.  
"On three, bro's…", Throttle ordered, while they were flying towards the plane. It was on fire, but still in the air. Time to end this.  
"One…"  
"Two…"  
"Three!"  
They disconnected the bikes from their plane and the whole construction crashed into the Karbunkle's massive flight. It finally was slowly losing altitude and clearly outta control.  
The mice landed on the big air balloon of Limburger that was floating above a huge silo. The bounced a couple of times on the balloon and continued their controlled landing. When they came over the silo, they shot ropes and hooks grabbed the iron cover that was on top of the silo. They pulled and the whole thing flew off. When they were safely on the ground, Modo turned around and shot at the cabin that was hanging under the balloon and the grain fell out, right into the silo.  
The massive plane suddenly came into view, crashed against the balloon and the whole thing went down with one last explosion.  
The mice cheered and drove to the road. Kiwi was waiting for them and Vinnie pulled her behind him on his bike with his tail, without stopping.  
"Yeah, I always like to leave in a blaze of glory", Throttle chuckled.  
"It is kinda your trademark", Kiwi smiled.  
"Well, I've gotta admit, bro's… feels mighty good to be back on the ground again", Modo said.  
"I bet the big cheese doesn't share that opinion right now", Vinnie snickered, while looking at the small dots hanging in the air on parachutes.  
"Great job, guys. Of course, you did get some help...", she then added nonchalant, studying her fingernails.  
"AAAOOWW, sweetheart, you're the best!", Vinnie howled, still hyped up.  
Kiwi felt his muscles vibrate under her hands. One bouncing ball of adrenaline. But she had to admit. It was a real exciting day.  
"So, and now… ROADTRIP!", Kiwi cheered. It was a long way back to Chicago. 709 miles to be exact. Time to have some fun.  
She suddenly remembered something.  
"Vinnie, I saw you were limping a little, you okay?", she asked with a little bit of concern.  
But her eyes grew wide in surprise when Modo and Throttle suddenly took off, leaving them in a cloud of dust, yelling something that sounded like 'Not again.'  
Vinnie laughed out loud.  
"What?", Kiwi asked, but Vinnie only laughed.  
Kiwi shrugged, shaking her head. Crazy, that's what they were. But she loved them. Crazy or not, they were her family.

* * *

Pfewie, took me a couple of hours, this one. But damn, what a great chapter to write. Die Fledermice is one of my favorite episodes, really, if you haven't seen it yet, watch it. It's hilarious.

So, drama, humor, action. It's all in here. Oh, and some romance. To be honest, writing about Modo and Ruby having sex kinda felt akward. It's crazy, since I don't have that at all when I write about Vinnie and Kiwi. But writing these kinda things about Modo, well...I dunno... It somehow feels as if I'm writing about my brother or something. But Modo deserved this scene.

Well, please lemme know what you guys think about this one. Hope you liked it!

Thank you so much for reading my story and supporting me.

Later guys and ride free! (or read free :P) Bwahahaa :')


	35. Chapter 34

Thank you so much for the kind words, really appreciate it.  
Youkaii, good to see you're still with me, missed you a few times!

I've read back the last chapter and oh my, it really had a lot of typo's. Sorry about that. But that's because the chapter was huge. I checked it for like, three times, but it was so much, I hardly could focus on the letters anymore after a while. Guess that's the disadvantage to write a long chapter. And I was so excited to publish it, hahaha. But thanks for the compliment about my English!

SpaceFlora and DinoDragonMaster; thanks for the nice compliments, it made my day!

Anyway, let's continue.  
Warning, just so you know, there's a really sexy scene in this one, oh boy... No idea where that came from... XD  
Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty four**

"Guys, maybe we need to find us a place to sleep", Kiwi suggested through the radio.  
They were on the road for a couple of hours now and it was already dark. But the thing is… They were in the middle of nowhere.  
"Sure thing, sweetheart. Luckily, they have hotels in abundance over here", Vinnie answered sarcastic, but also with a teasing tone in his voice.  
"Who said I need a hotel?", Kiwi snapped back.  
"What do ya mean, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo asked.  
"Well, we're kinda in the middle of nowhere. Why don't we go into the woods and find us a place to camp?"  
"Ugh. Sleep on the floor, between bugs and leafs? No thanks", Vinnie moaned, but a big yawn escaped his mouth and his bike wobbled.  
"Well, smartass, do you have a better idea? You know, instead of just keep driving and fall asleep while we're at it?", Kiwi asked nonchalant.  
The white furred mouse didn't answer.  
"That's what I thought. What do you guys think? Throttle? Modo?"  
"I guess spending a night under the stars isn't such a bad idea", Throttle answered.  
"Yeah, I agree", Modo nodded.  
"Vinnie?"  
"Ugh, fine…"

They left the highway and drove into the forest. After driving for a while, they found the perfect place. It was a open spot deep into the bushes, with a small creek next to it. The mice stopped their bikes and when the engines died, silence dawned on them. Kiwi took a few deep breaths to enjoy this moment. She was so tired and her head was almost exploding after all the adrenaline rushes. The silence was very welcome right now.  
But of course, Vinnie had to break it.  
"So now what?"  
Someone was cranky alright.  
Kiwi looked at Modo and Throttle, who stepped off their bikes, pulling off their helmets.  
"Now, we're gonna make a fire", she answered.  
Vinnie sighed exaggeratedly and crossed his arms before his chest, putting his chin in the air.  
"Being on Earth turned you into a spoiled kid, Vin. Back on Mars, we didn't had luxury either. Never heard you complain back then. Well, not about this...", Modo teased his younger bro, piling wood in his arms. Throttle was already making a pile to start the fire.  
Vinnie snorted and Kiwi giggled. She climbed off Vinnie's bike and after pulling off her helmet, she pushed Vinnie off his bike so she could grab her bag that was in the compartment under his seat.  
"I was kinda prepared, lucky for you. I brought some hotdogs, rootbeer and blankets", she said, emptying her bag.  
That cheered Vinnie up. Food always did the trick.  
"Sweetheart, you're the best", and he hurried to the pile off wood. He grabbed a flair outta his bandolier.  
When Throttle saw what he was upto, he quickly jumped at his feet.  
"Vincent, don't…", but it was too late.  
Vinnie lit the flair and threw it between the wood. A small explosion made them stumble back and a huge flame almost burned off the hair on their faces.  
"... the wood is too dry to use one of your flairs…", Throttle finished, rubbing his face.  
"Whoops…", Vinnie smiled sheepishly.  
The rest gave him a meaningful look.  
"What? It worked, right?" And he pointed at the fire, that was now small and calm.  
Everybody sighed, but with a small smile on their faces. Ah well. At least he wasn't pouting like a small child anymore.

After dinner, Kiwi lay down on her blanket with a satisfied sigh.  
"Ah, this is living…"  
Throttle, who was sitting next to her, looked at her. She looked happy. Peaceful. And somehow nostalgic.  
Kiwi saw him looking.  
"My parents and I used to do this a lot. When we were touring on the bikes, we skipped the hotels to camp in the wilderness. So, I'm feeling quit at home right now."  
Throttle smiled at her and looked up to the sky, searching for the red dot that was Mars. Kiwi saw it and she vowed to herself she was gonna finish that machine sooner than later. The guy was lovesick, alright.  
Modo was also lying on his back, his arms folded under his head, looking at the stars. Probably thinking about a certain red headed woman.  
Vinnie was lying on his belly, poking in the fire with a stick. The red glow of the flames reflected on his mask and somehow, his ruby red eyes looked even more redder. He looked more beautiful than ever. And the only thing that was going through her mind right now, was that she wanted to drag him into the woods, so she could rip off his clothes and force him to make love to her. But she knew it didn't work like that. She needed to give him space. That's the least she could do after what she did to him.  
But still…  
It was as if he could feel her burning gaze, because he suddenly looked her straight into the eye. Kiwi felt that familiar tingle in her belly when she saw the intense and arrogant look in his eyes and how his lips curled into that smile she loved so much. He was so cocky. He knew so damn well the effect he had on her. He was playing with her, she suddenly realized. And oh boy, how she liked it. She blushed and focussed her attention back on the stars. And she felt so peaceful. And maybe even happy. For the first time since a very long time.

Modo's loud snoring filled the air. Kiwi wrinkled her nose. She sure hoped his snoring wasn't gonna attract a bear, who maybe would confuse the snoring with the noise female's made when they were ready to mate. She giggled softly. That would be something. A image of Modo wrestling with a bear popped up in her head and she giggled again. She rolled on her belly and looked at the mice.  
Modo was lying across her, with the still burning fire between them. He was fast asleep, just like his tan furred bro, who was lying closeby Modo.  
Then her gaze fell on Vinnie, who was lying next to her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw he was looking back.  
"Care to share what's so funny, sweetheart?", he yawned.  
"Oh nothing… Why aren't you sleeping?", she whispered.  
"Dunno... But I'll go find a job tomorrow, I promise…", he mumbled, his eyes closed again.  
Kiwi smiled. He was obviously not in the land of the living.  
"Sure thing, love."  
He mumbled another thing, but she couldn't hear what it was. She crawled a little closer and studied him. He looked so young. Peaceful. Innocent. His face completely relaxed, his bravado nowhere to be found. When she was close enough, she crawled against him. He was lying on his back and she lay her head on his chest. He wrapped one strong arm around her, mumbling something that looked a lot like 'sweetheart.'  
She smiled against his fur, sniffing up his scent. He always smelled so good. She still hadn't figured how that was possible, since the mice still used the shower only once a week. But he had this lovely smell of leather, combined with a hint of hay and… cinnamon. Weird, right? But she loved it. It made her feel calm. Especially combined with the feeling of his fur on her skin. His soft fur.  
The tingles in her lower body were back. Gosh, she felt like a teenager who had no idea what to do with all these hormones in her body. She needed him. So badly. But dammit, they weren't alone. She already knew Vinnie wasn't gonna leave his bro's behind in a unknow forest to have sex with his girl. He would never do that. Gotta love their bromance… Ugh. But she had to admit, she did admire their strong bond.

She lay her hand on his stomach. She could feel his muscles under his fur, but he was completely relaxed. Something only happened while he was asleep. Her hand slowly made its way down. Vinnie stirred, but didn't wake up. Inch by inch, she got closer to his pants. Two fingers unbuttoned it, but when her hand wanted to slid inside, his hand suddenly grabbed hers to stop her. She looked up startled into his eyes, now open and wide awake.  
"Sweetheart... you're one naughty girl, aren't you?", he whispered, with that lazy and arrogant smile on face.  
"I eh… Hehehe… eh…", Kiwi stuttered, her cheeks burning.  
Vinnie slowly got upright to lean on his elbow and he looked at his bro's. Still fast asleep.  
Then, he looked down at her. And the look on his face took her completely off guard.  
Oh boy…  
It looked like she was finally gonna get what she wanted after after all…  
He threw the blanket over both of them and wrapped one arm around Kiwi's waist. He pulled her against him, pushing her against the ground on her back at the same time. He was lying on his side, leaning on one elbow, the other arm still around her waist.  
"Vinnie…", Kiwi started, but he silenced her with a rough kiss.  
"Ssshh…", he whispered in her ear when he broke off the kiss and set his teeth in her earlobe.  
Hard.  
She flinched, but the pain was sweet. Her heart started to beat faster. What was he up to?  
"So, this is what you want, sweetheart?" and his hand crawled under her shirt.  
She breathed in sharply when she felt his touch on her naked skin and closed her eyes.  
A soft moan slipped between her lips, and again, he silenced her with a rough kiss.  
"Shhh… you don't want my bro's to wake up, now do you?"  
His hand slowly made its way down, his fingers softly sliding over her skin. It gave her goosebumps. It made her shiver. It made her wanting him even more. She tried to touch him, to kiss him, but he pushed her down again.  
"Ah, ah, ah... " and his hand slid into her pants.  
Kiwi's legs started to shake and her breathing became heavier. She felt his calm breathing against his her ear.  
"Guess the tables are turned now… First, you thought I only wanted you to get into your pants. And now you're the one who's practically begging me for it…", he whispered in her ear.  
Her eyes flew open, but he suddenly slid two fingers inside of her and she gasped. She looked up at him, his eyes were twinkling. He was loving this, she could tell. To take over control. To tease her. To drive her crazy. To mess with her. And she noticed she loved it too. She closed her eyes again. His fingers were doing things that made every muscle in her body started to twitch. Her breathing accelerated. But she had a hard time to completely relax, since Modo and Throttle were lying so close to them. It felt so wrong, and yet so exciting at the same time to do this right now.  
"Just let it go, sweetheart… Relax... ", she heard Vinnie's low voice in her ear.  
God, that voice...this mouse… he knew exactly how to make her lose control. Magical fingers, she called it. Her whole body trembled, the feeling of pleasure was almost too much, but he held her tightly so she couldn't move. She started to feel dizzy. Her breathing became shallow. She felt the now familiar pressure building up again. But right before she reached her peak, he stopped.  
Her eyes flew open and she looked up at him, almost pleading.  
"No, no, no… please…", she whispered.  
"Please what?", he whispered back, his hand still in her pants.  
"Please… don't stop…"  
He smiled, his eyes twinkling. But he did what she asked. And before a scream left her mouth, he kissed her. Wild. She moaned against his lips, kissing him back eagerly. Again, his teeth cut her lip, but they both didn't care. They hardly noticed. She clung onto him, grabbing his fur, pulling on it. Her whole body was on fire. And then, the wave of pleasure flooded her. Completely washed her away. Her whole body cramped and if he still wasn't kissing her, she would've screamed. But of course, he was prepared for that. Because he knew damn well how good he was. What he was doing to her.  
She squeezed her eyes and slowly, she relaxed. Vinnie slowly pulled back his hand and let her go. She was just lying there, with the blanket still over them, breathing heavily. Dizzy. Tired as fuck. God. That was amazing. Mindblown. Heaven. She was so lucky to have him. She bet the girls back on Mars were standing in line to get him. But he was hers. All hers.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.  
"What about you…?", she asked softly. But he shook his head.  
"Don't worry about me, babe. I'll get my chance later… I hope you're satisfied now?", and he winked at her, the arrogance dripping off his face.  
Kiwi decided it was time to supress that ego of his a little. She shrugged.  
"Yeah, kinda… It was okay, really... ", she answered nonchalant.  
He narrowed his eyes, his left ear twitched.  
"Okay? Okay? Come on, sweetheart, it's gotta be more than that…"  
Kiwi did everything to keep her face in check.  
"No, I think 'okay' pretty much covers it…" and she faked a yawn, pretending she was bored.  
Vinnie stared at her, completely loss at words. And she couldn't hold it any longer and burst out into laughter. But she suddenly realized they weren't alone and she slammed a hand before her mouth, but still laughing. The look on his face was priceless. He suddenly grabbed her and climbed on top of her, pushing her hands against the floor. She looked up at him, to the mischievous glance in his eyes.  
"You little teaser…", he whispered.  
"Sorry, it was just too easy…", she giggled, but he kissed her. And she immediately stopped laughing and kissed him back eagerly. His tail slowly made its way up from her feet to her belly, and the feeling alone was enough to make her yearn for more again.  
But then, he broke off the kiss and rolled down next to her.  
"Hey, what…", Kiwi started, but Vinnie gave her a teasing smile.  
"Night, sweetheart", and he lay down, closing his eyes.  
She stared at him. No way. He wouldn't dare… But he just did.  
Vinnie opened one eye and peeked at her through his lashes. The look on her face said it all. He smiled and pulled her against him.  
"That will teach ya…", he whispered in her ear.  
Kiwi sighed heavily.  
"Okay, okay. Fair enough. It was great, okay? It really was…"  
"I know, doll. I'm the best, and don't you just hate me for it?", but she saw the small blush under his fur. She planted her elbow in his stomach and he laughed, but also quickly realized they needed to be quiet.  
"Okay, okay, enough. You need sleep, babe. It's been a long day", and she felt his strong arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer against him.  
She grabbed his hand and closed her eyes, a little smile on her face.  
"Night, Vinnie."  
"I love you… Kiwi…"  
She breathed in sharply, her heart pounding in her chest. And no matter how tired she was, she just couldn't stop smiling.  
"I love you too, Vincent."

The next morning, Throttle woke up because of sniffing noises next to his head. His eyes flew open and he froze. A huge brown bear was standing next to him, sniffing at his ear.  
Holy mothers of Mars…  
He tried to lay as still as possible, but that was hard, giving the fact the animal was huge, had a awful breath and the big teeth and claws weren't helping either. But he knew if he moved now, he was a goner. He glanced at his bro's from the corner of his eyes, but Modo was still snoring loud and Vinnie was lying in his characteristic sea star position on his belly, also snoring. Kiwi was lying next to him, out like a light.  
Shit, now what…  
He looked at the bear again, who was now sniffing at his chest. He just hoped the animal soon decided mouse wasn't his favorite breakfast and would leave. His heart was pounding in his chest and he closed his eyes to stay focussed on lying still. Because his instinct was screaming he needed to get the hell outta here. The bear suddenly lifted his big paw and pushed the tan furred mouse against the side of his leg. His nails cut right through his pants and Throttle felt the sharp points scratching his flesh. He squeezed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The bear sniffed at the wound he had made in Throttle's leg and licked at it.  
Throttle held his breath and prepared himself for a fight. Maybe moving would mean he was gonna be killed, but not way he was just gonna lie here, completely helpless, to be eaten alive.

The big animal suddenly rose on his back feet and roared loudly. Throttle used this moment to roll over and he tried to crawl away, but the bear wasn't gonna let his snack get away that easily and he landed back on four paws, grabbing Throttle.  
The tan furred mouse let out a scream in pain when he felt the big nails cutting in his flesh on his back. He rolled over, just in time to see the big teeth coming closer. He grabbed the animal by both sides of the head and tried to stop him from biting off his head, but the beast was strong. His teeth came closer and closer and Throttle clenched his teeth, using all his strength. The bear lifted a paw and slammed Throttle away, cutting open his arm and side with his nails. The tan furred mouse had no choice to let the bear go and landed a few meters away on his back away. He moaned in pain.  
The bear came closer and opened his big mouth, sharp teeth flickered in the sun… Throttle squeezed his eyes, holding his hands in front of him, expecting to feel the big teeth any moment now, when a loud gunshot split the air. Blood splattered all over Throttle and the bear roared in pain. Another gunshot and the bear fell on his side, and after a few convulsions, it stopped moving.

Throttle slowly opened his eyes and saw Vinnie kneeling down next to him, putting back his gun in his leg holster.  
"Thanks, Vincent… and great timing as usual…", he whispered, but then the pain overwhelmed him and he moaned, grabbing Vinnie's arm.  
"Did you expect less? Jesus bro, you okay? Nobody ever told you before that bear wrestling ain't the best morning workout?", the white furred mouse breathed, looking at his bro's wounds.  
This was bad. His pants were torn and he saw scratches on his leg. They weren't that deep, but the wound in his side was. Blood streamed down and dripped in the grass. Vinnie quickly grabbed a blanket and pushed it against the wound, making Throttle wincing in pain.  
"Sorry, bro, but we need to stop that bleeding…"  
Kiwi and Modo kneeled down next to Vinnie, looking at Throttle.  
"Oh my god, Throttle…", Kiwi whispered, looking at the wounds.  
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Here they were, in the middle of nowhere and Throttle, the fearless leader, was bleeding to death.  
SHIT.  
"We need to get home as soon as possible. Ruby is the only one who can help him right now…", she said softly.  
Vinnie nodded, the snow white fur on his hands and arms already turned red from Throttle's blood.  
"How far are we from home, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo asked with his hand on Throttle's shoulder.  
Kiwi closed her eyes, trying to focus. But her brains were making overtime and she almost blacked out.  
"I guess two hours to say at least…", she eventually said.  
"He doesn't have that much time!", Vinnie snapped at her.  
"I know, but what choice do we have?", she snapped back.  
"We need to meet Ruby halfway. Call her, NOW!", Vinnie yelled at his older bro and Modo nodded, running to his bike.  
"Bro, bro, you still there?", Vinnie asked when he noticed how quiet Throttle suddenly was.  
The tan furred mouse didn't respond.  
"Throttle…", and he shook his bro's shoulder. No response.  
"No, come on, bro… stay with me, man...", Vinnie pleaded, still holding pressure at the wound on his side. But there was so much blood.  
Kiwi looked at it. This didn't make any sense. Where did all the blood came from?  
"Vinnie, help me turn him on his side", she suddenly said and the white furred mouse did what she said. They pushed Throttle on his side and both breathed in sharply. His back was a mess. The bear had hit him with full force and four mean and deep looking wounds were the result.  
"Quickly, grab another blanket", Kiwi ordered and Vinnie did what she said. She lay it under Throttle and they turned him back on his back.  
"His weight will give pressure on the wounds…"  
She looked at Vinnie, who was looking as if he was gonna break down any moment.  
Kiwi's heart broke. This was his bro. His family. And leader. She lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"He will pull through, Vin. I promise…", but he shook his head.  
"How do you know? Jesus, look at all this blood… Fuck, what if… What if he…", but Kiwi stopped him.  
"Don't. Don't think about that. We are gonna do everything we can to help him, you hear me? He is not gonna die. Not now."  
Vinnie didn't respond and looked at Modo, who ran back to them.  
"Ruby is already on her way. She told us to wait here and not to move him. That could make things worse. We need to keep pressure on the wounds. She will be here in two hours…"  
Vinnie's head jerked up and his eyes almost spit fire.  
"He doesn't have that much time! He needs help, now!"  
"Vinnie, I know you're upset, but it's not like we have a choice. I trust Ruby. She told me, as long as we keep pressure on the wounds, he…", but Vinnie interrupted him.  
"How does she even know that? She's not here, now is she?"  
When Modo didn't respond, Vinnie's tail lashed through the air.  
"Modo, he is DYING! We can't let him die!"  
"I KNOW! Jesus, you think I don't know? But what are we supposed to do? Tell me!", Modo roared, throwing his hands in the air in frustration and powerlessness.  
Kiwi intervened.  
"Guys, calm down. Panic isn't gonna help anyone right now. We need to stay calm for him. He would do the same for us, right? So, we're gonna do what Ruby told us and we're gonna keep pressure on the wound. And we wait till she's here."  
Modo and Vinnie both took a deep breath to calm their nerves, but that wasn't easy. I mean, it was Throttle they were talking about. Their leader. They were nothing without him. But Kiwi was right. So, Vinnie made a decision.  
"Sweetheart, please take over", he said, gesturing with his head to the blanket he was pressing against Throttle's waist. Kiwi did what he said, but with a questionably look on her face.  
Vinnie jumped at his feet and whistled at his bike. The engine started and roared, before the bike stopped next to him. He put on his helmet.  
"Vinnie, where are you going?", Kiwi asked, feeling a hint of panic now. What was he gonna do?  
"I'm Vinnie van Wham, the baddest mamma jammer from this side of the asteroid belt and Motocross Champ of the Galaxy for fuck sake. I'm twice as fast as Ruby in her car, so, Modo; call her and tell her I'm coming to meet her. Tell her to keep driving, I'll find her."  
His voice was low and shaky, but determined.  
Modo nodded.  
"Okay, will do. Go and for god sake, come back safely. I can't lose...", but he quickly shut his mouth.  
Vinnie nodded, knowing exactly what his older bro meant and jumped on his bike.  
Before Kiwi even could process it, he was already gone.  
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Modo? I mean… He's really upset…"  
"Yeah, but he's right. He's fast. If someone's right for the job to make sure Ruby is gonna be here sooner, it's him…"  
He looked at Throttle, and his heart broke to see his leader, his bro lying so motionless on the floor. Luckily, his breathing was still calm and his pols was steady. But he looked so… helpless. Oh momma… Letting Vinnie go had another reason, actually. One he didn't told Kiwi. But if Throttle died, it was better that Vinnie wasn't gonna witness it. He would lose himself. Modo shook his head. Stop it, Modo Maverick. Always worrying about everybody else, but what about you? What will happen to you if your best friend is gonna die in your arms? But he pushed it away. Throttle wasn't gonna die. And that's final.

Vinnie pushed his bike to the limits and the people he past probably only saw a white and red blur. But it still wasn't fast enough. He fired his jets and his bike sped forward. He bit on his lower lip in concentration, not letting the thoughts in that were threatening to overwhelm him. His bro needed him. No time for distractions. He just focussed on his driving, and his eyes were searching for Ruby's car at the other side of the road.  
He suddenly realized he still had her GPS data in his bike and quickly let go off one handlebar to push the button. His bike beeped and he saw he was getting close to her. But no surprise there. He was almost driving 150 miles per hour. Not that he couldn't handle it. He accelerated even more, desperate to save his bro. He was not gonna let him die. He was not gonna fail on him. Not like he did to Harley. He wasn't fast enough back then. No way he was gonna make that mistake again.  
No. Fucking. Way.

Ruby was driving as fast as she could, but traffic and speed controls made it almost impossible. She snorted irritated and tried to pass a truck, who was using two lines instead of one. She rammed her fist on the horn, but the truck ignored her. God dammit…  
Suddenly, a red racing bike popped up next to her and she saw Vinnie signing at her to stop the car next to the road. She did what he said and when she stopped, he already opened her door.  
"Come on, we need to hurry. Grab your stuff", he ordered, throwing a helmet on her lap.  
She stared at him for a moment. He got blood all over his hands and arms and he didn't even tried to be charming.  
The look in his eyes said it all. No fooling around.  
She quickly recovered herself and grabbed her bag with all the supplies she was gonna need.  
"That's it?", Vinnie asked, when he saw only one bag.  
"Yeah, for now. Let's go."  
And she put on the helmet and jumped behind him on his bike. But despite his hurry, he looked over his shoulder.  
"I should warn ya, it's gonna be a bumpy ride. But trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing. Hold tight and please, no screaming."  
She wrapped her arms around him and before she could say anything, he hit the accelerator and the bike sped away, leaving Ruby's stomach and eyes behind.  
Holy shit. This was crazy. She closed her eyes and held him, leaving all the control to him. She just hoped she was gonna make it to Throttle in one piece. But she trusted Vinnie. He knew what he was doing. So, she just sat behind him, holding him tightly and praying this awful ride was gonna be over soon.

Vinnie left the highway and sped into the bushes. When he made a turn, the back of his bike slipped and Ruby almost let out a scream, but suddenly remembered his words, so she clenched her teeth. God, she wasn't that scared easily. But riding a bike with Vinnie was scary, alright. She felt his muscles tense to get his bike back under control and he succeeded, without slowing down. And before she even could process it, they arrived at a open spot and he hit the brakes. He turned his bike and slid a few meters before they finally came to a halt.  
He immediately jumped off, while his tail snaked around her waist and he set her on gently on her feet. Ruby let out her breath and pulled off the helmet. She saw Throttle lying with Kiwi holding a blood soaked blanket against his waist and she walked towards them, a little wobbling. Modo was sitting by Throttle's head. Her heart broke a little when she saw the look on his face. Oh, poor Modo.  
But right now, Throttle was the one who needed help.  
"Ruby! Oh my god, I'm so glad you're here…", Kiwi breathed when the red headed woman kneeled down next to her.  
"Well, that makes two of us…", Ruby answered, thinking about the horrible ride.  
But she quickly focussed on her task. Kiwi made room for her so she could examine him.  
Vinnie popped up next to her, a wild look in his eyes. She grabbed his hand.  
"Good job, macho mouse", she whispered, before turning her attention back on Ruby.  
Vinnie didn't answer, didn't even brag about it.  
"He lost a lot of blood, and the wounds need to be cleaned before I'm gonna close them. We need blood, but you two have different blood types, right?"  
Modo and Vinnie nodded.  
"Think my blood will qualify?", Kiwi asked.  
Ruby shrugged.  
"I know your blood type, but I don't know his. So, I have no idea…"  
"He eh… he got blood type A", Vinnie stuttered.  
Kiwi's face lit up.  
"So do I! It could work, right?"  
"Yeah, well… You're human and he's a alien mouse. Not sure if…", but Modo interrupted her.  
"We got nothing to lose, right? Without it, he's gonna die, right?"  
Ruby looked at him for a moment.  
"Right. Kiwi, prepare yourself for blood transfusion, you know what to do."  
Kiwi nodded and kneeled down next to Ruby's bag, grabbing the supplies she needed.  
Meanwhile, Ruby pricked a needle in Throttle's hand and gestured to Modo to come closer. He did what she asked and she pushed a infusion bag in his hand.  
"Hold this, please", and Ruby attached the infusion tube at the needle in Throttle's hand. She opened the small crane and the fluid slowly entered Throttle's body.  
"That's a start. Now, painkillers and antibiotics", Ruby mumbled, grabbing needles, syringes and bottles. Vinnie did a few steps back when he saw the big needles, but he didn't walk away. Ruby gave the tan furred mouse the drugs he needed. Then, she looked at Vinnie.  
"You think you can keep pressure on the wound for now?"  
The white furred mouse nodded and kneeled down next to his bro.  
Ruby quickly jumped at her feet and walked over to Kiwi, who was ready. Ruby quickly pricked a needle in her arm and her blood slowly streamed into the tube, right into the bag that was lying next to her.  
"Good, you sit here and do nothing", and Ruby walked back to Throttle.  
Vinnie made room for her and she started to clean his wounds.  
"There are also wounds on his back…", Vinnie said softly.  
Ruby nodded friendly at him.  
"Thanks. When this one is clean and closed, I'll check on them."

After two hours, all the wounds were clean and closed and the bleeding was stopped. Kiwi's blood was now slowly dripping into Throttle's system and they all were sitting around him, all deep in thoughts. Nobody said something.  
Vinnie was staring at his bro. Dammit. He realized he always sorta took Throttle for granted. It never occurred to him that the tan furred mouse was also made of flesh and blood and therefore also vulnerable. It was crazy, he knew that. But he always saw Throttle, and Modo too, as two unbreakable, maybe even immortal, mice. But they weren't. Clearly, they weren't. He wasn't sure what was gonna happen to him if Throttle would die. Everybody kept telling him he wasn't. But what if he did?  
Ruby cleared her throat.  
"The safest way to get him back at home, is by car. Modo, maybe you can bring me back to grab my car?"  
Modo jumped at his feet and nodded. He needed to do something. All this waiting just made him nervous. They waved at Kiwi and Vinnie and drove away.  
Kiwi gently touched Vinnie's arm.  
"Vin… Talk to me… You're awfully quiet... "  
She felt his muscles vibrate under her hand. Poor guy. He was eating himself up from the inside. She knew why. She would do the same. But still…  
Vinnie shrugged, his eyes fixed on Throttle's chest, to see if his bro was still breathing. Kiwi rubbed his back, leaning against him.  
But he didn't respond. He just kept staring at his bro, as if he could stare him back on his feet.  
"Listen, Vin, I know how hard it is to talk, and I know you're shutting me out, but I want you to know I'm here for you. This is horrible, and I'm just as scared as you to lose him… Not that I know him as long as you do, but he's like a brother to me", Kiwi babbled.  
She knew she was talking way too much, but she just couldn't help herself. Everything better than sitting here in silence, feeling the tension from the white furred mouse next to her, the tension that almost sucked the oxygen outta the sky.  
"Look, all I wanna say is that I'm here for you and…"  
"Sweetheart…", Vinnie warned her, his voice low.  
But Kiwi hardly heard him. She couldn't take the tension.  
"And whatever will happen, I'll be always at your side…"  
"Sweetheart… Stop talking…" and his hand grabbed her arm in an iron grip.  
But even that didn't stop her.  
"And that…"  
"KIWI!", Vinnie screamed and he jumped at his feet, dragging her with him.  
Kiwi stared at him in shock, but Vinnie pointed to Throttle.  
"He stopped breathing…"  
Kiwi followed his finger and for a moment, they both stared at the lifeless body.  
But then, Kiwi came into action and kneeled down next to Throttle to feel his pulse. Nothing. But her hands were shaking so bad…  
She gritted her teeth, feeling again, her eyes closed to stay focussed. But she still felt nothing.  
She looked up at Vinnie, her eyes wide open.  
Vinnie saw her face and it felt as if the floor just shattered under his feet. As if he was falling down, till there was only a cold darkness around him. He shivered and his legs suddenly couldn't hold his weight anymore. He fell on his knees and a heavy pain spread in his chest.  
"No…"

* * *

Another cliffhanger... muawahahaaa!  
But...  
...oh...  
...my...  
...god...  
Definitely a tense one...  
What will happen next?  
Are they gonna be able to save Throttle?  
And what if they don't?  
What will happen then?

So much questions... so few answers...

Puhlease review! :)

Later guys!


	36. Chapter 35

Hahaha, you guys, thank you so much for the reviews. Excuse me for laughing, but I know how god damn annoying these kinda cliffhangers are. So your reviews made me smile. I'm sorry for doing that to you. Can't promise that I won't do it again, though… ;)

Barpon: I've read your story (loved it, btw), and your grammar is way more extensive than mine, so I can imagine it takes more time to write a chapter. Plus, I have lots of time to write. And I write every free minute I have. And it just rolls outta my brain. Does this even make any sense? XD

As for the rest, thank you for your kind words! I just can't say it enough.

Well, it's time to redeem you from your suffering, guys.

Enjoy this chapter! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty five**

 _Hello darkness, my old friend…_

The pain in his chest was unbearable. Everything around him faded away. There was this weird pressure against his eardrums, giving him a huge headache. All colours faded, till there was only darkness.  
And it paralyzed him. The darkness paralyzed him.

 _I've come to talk with you again…_

The pressure on his eardrums slowly spreaded. It made his vision blurry, but somehow he could see Throttle's lifeless body crystal clear. It made his mouth dry as a dessert. It made his throat burning as if it was on fire. It made breathing difficult, as if the air was thin around him. It made his stomach turn into a knot. It made his legs weak.  
And it paralyzed him. The pressure paralyzed him.

 _The sound of silence..._

Kiwi quickly recovered herself from the heavy shock.  
"Things aren't lost yet, Vinnie. No way, no fucking way, we're gonna give up on him", she growled while she set her hands on Throttle's chest and started CPR.  
"One… Two… Three… Four…", she counted, her teeth clenched. Her gaze landed on Vinnie.  
"Vinnie, snap out of it, god dammit! I need your help!", she yelled at the motionless white furred mouse, who was still sitting on his knees.

 _Her words like silent raindrops fell and echoed in the wells of silence…_

Vinnie suddenly felt as if he got slapped in the face when he heard Kiwi yelling at him. He noticed he could move his body again and he crawled over to Throttle.  
"Twenty seven… Twenty eight… Twenty nine… Thirty… Vinnie, now!"  
Kiwi stopped moving and Vinnie bend forward, squeezed his bro's nose shut and blew air into his lungs. After waiting for five seconds, he repeated the deed.  
Kiwi set her hands back on the tan furred mouse his chest, starting to count again.  
Thirty chest compressions.  
Two times the kiss of life.  
Over and over again.  
Kiwi stopped for a moment to check his pulse, but still nothing.  
She continued, crying the eyes outta her head.  
"Ten… **Come on, Throttle** … Eleven… **COME ON!**... Twelve… **You can't** … Thirteen… **leave us** … Fourteen… **god dammit**... Fifteen…. **Vinnie needs you** … Sixteen…", she whispered between counting, tears streaming over her face.  
Why didn't he wake up?  
The world was gonna end if he didn't wake up. Vinnie would never recover from that. And she knew, if she was gonna lose Throttle, she was gonna lose Vinnie too.

 _Throttle's eyes flew open. He expected to see a blue sky. He expected to smell the scent of the forest. To hear the birds singing. To feel the soothing warmth of the sun on his fur. But all he saw, was darkness. All he smelled, was death. All he heard, was silence. And all he felt, was cold. He felt something missing, it felt somehow naked. He raised his hands, touching his face. His glasses were gone...  
_ _He slowly got upright, checking his body. But the wounds were gone. And he could see without his glasses... He rose on his feet. The pain was gone. All there was left, was… nothing. Emptiness.  
_ " _Throttle…"  
_ _He froze when he heard her voice. That voice that meant so much to him. That voice, that belonged to the woman he loved so much it was almost scary. The woman he needed so badly. The woman he missed so much, every day, every hour, every minute.  
_ " _Carbine…"  
_ _He felt her warm hand on his shoulder, it was a welcome feeling while being here, in this cold and empty place. He slowly turned around and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. Her unharmed face. He smiled and raised his hands, his fingers buried themselves into her shiny black hair. Her smell filled his nose. Her body against his warmed him up. And suddenly, there was light.  
_ " _Carbine…"  
_ _She smiled back at him, touching his cheek with one hand. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned against him. For a moment, there was only peace. Warmth. Love. But then, she made herself loose and looked him in the eye. Into his beautiful dark green eyes.  
_ " _You need to go back…"  
_ " _Am I dead?"  
_ " _No… not yet…"  
_ " _Where are we?"  
_ " _On the passage... "  
_ " _Why are you here?"  
_ " _To stop you…"  
_ " _From dying?"  
_ " _You're fight isn't over. It isn't your time yet."  
_ " _How do you know?"  
_ " _Because Modo needs you. Vinnie needs you. Kiwi needs you. I need you…"  
_ _A single tear escaped her left eye. Throttle softly rubbed it away with one finger.  
_ " _I love you, Carbine…"  
_ " _I love you too, Throttle. Don't you forget about that. See you back on the other side…"  
_ " _No, don't leave me, please…"  
_ " _If you promise not to leave me first…"  
_ _And suddenly, she was gone. And Throttle was alone. And the silence was back. The cold was back. He fell on his knees.  
_ " _Carbine… I promise…", he whispered in the sound of silence..._

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thousand of miles away, on Mars, Carbine jerked upright. Her fur was soaked with sweat and she was breathing heavily. She stepped out of bed and opened the door to her balcony, taking a few deep breaths. She was used to having nightmares, but this… This one scared the shit outta her. She looked up at the stars and saw the small dot that was Earth. A tear left her eye.  
"Oh Throttle… Please, be okay. Please, let this all just be a dream. Please… may we meet again…"

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Throttle's eyes flew open and he gasped for air, desperate to fill his lungs with oxygen, scaring the shit outta both Kiwi and Vinnie, who were still doing everything they could to save his life.  
"Jesus, Throttle…", Kiwi breathed, checking his pulse. It was fast and strong.  
Throttle was still breathing heavily and coughing loudly, struggling to get air.  
Vinnie could only stare at his tan furred bro, somehow refusing to believe this was real. But it was. His bro was back. And a huge relief almost washed him away.  
Holy fucking mothers of Mars. He grabbed Throttle by the shoulders.  
"Don't do that ever again, you hear me? Don't you fucking dare to do that again. Ever", and his voice almost broke, but as always, he recovered himself and pushed his pain away.  
Throttle, now a lot calmer, took a few deep breaths before he looked at his white furred bro and gave him a small smile.  
"Come on, bro… You're Vinnie, the velocity atrocity. You can take care yourself, right?", and he chuckled, making a joke out of it, but knowing perfectly well his younger bro couldn't. His face twisted when he felt the pain.  
"Dammit, I feel like I've wrestled with a bear…"  
"Newsflash, bro…", Vinnie snickered. "And of course, you needed me to save your ass by blowing off his fucking head."  
Throttle smiled. He closed his eyes and grabbed Vinnie by the arm.  
"Thanks, bro…"  
"No biggie. It's what heroes do, right?"  
"Right."  
Throttle relaxed, his hand fell on the floor. Kiwi quickly lay a hand on Vinnie's arm.  
"He's sleeping. He must be exhausted. His body suffered a lot."  
Vinnie looked down at Kiwi and the intense look in his eyes almost made her shrink.  
"You saved his life, sweetheart. Words can't describe how much that means to me…"  
She blushed, and a warm feeling crept over her.  
"That's where family is for, right?"  
He ruffled through her hair and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right…"  
At that point, Ruby's car stopped on the open spot, next to Vinnie's bike. Modo stopped next to her, pulling off his helmet.  
"Everything okay here?", he asked worried, when he saw the faces of Kiwi and Vinnie.  
They looked at each other for a moment and the both smiled.  
"Yeah… Yeah, it is…"

They got Throttle home safely and in one piece. Well, meaning his injuries didn't got worse. Kiwi had suggested to lay him on a bed in the living room, so Vinnie and Modo moved one of the spare beds down. Then, Modo carried his bro inside and lay him down gently. Ruby changed his IV and gave him another shot of painkillers. Throttle was still sleeping.  
Kiwi had told her in the car what had happened, while Vinnie and Modo followed the car with Throttle's bike between them. Ruby had looked at her, shock written on her face.  
"Jesus, Kiwi… I'm so sorry I wasn't there, I mean, he was stable when I left, I… You shouldn't have to carry that responsibility…"  
But Kiwi had shaken her head.  
"It's not your fault. Luckily, you teached me enough about first aid, so I was able to save him… with some help from Vinnie, of course…"  
Ruby had been awfully quiet the rest of the drive.  
But now, the tan furred mouse was back home, safely lying in his bed in the living room, surrounded by his bro's and family.

There was always a tension sensible when one of them was wounded, or not feeling well, but now it was Throttle and the tension was almost suffocating.  
Days past and his bro's were completely lost without him, Kiwi could tell. The tan furred mouse wasn't just their friend and bro. He was their leader. The calm and steady factor in the group. And Kiwi noticed they hardly could look at him. Seeing their fearless leader this vulnerable, it was devastating for them. Somehow even paralyzing them. Even if Ruby kept telling them he was gonna be okay, he just needed time and rest, Kiwi caught them multiple times checking if he was still breathing. Or checking his pulse.  
Modo transformed into a caring nurse, constantly plumping Throttle's pillow, making sure the blanket was tucked in, cleaning the blood out of the tan coloured fur... He also took responsibility to keep Vinnie in line. Most of the time, Throttle was carrying that responsibility. But with him lying motionless in a bed, Modo felt the need to take over. And Vinnie hated it. The white furred mouse obviously had no clue how to handle all this. That small moment in the woods, that moment he thought he had lost his friend, his bro, his leader… It kept haunting him. That small moment of pure darkness. That small moment of feeling completely lost.  
Throttle was always strong. Always calm. Always knowing what to do. He sometimes almost felt like a father. Vinnie admired him. Looked up to him. Respected him. And that small moment of complete vulnerability had rocked him off his socks.

Kiwi tried to talk to him, to get through to him, but he pushed her away. He rebuilt the walls around him, the one he had lowered a little in the time he was on Earth, so quickly, Kiwi didn't even had a chance. And she noticed how she was yearning for a talk with Throttle. To listen to his husky and calm voice, that was telling her that everything was gonna be okay. To hear him chuckle, or to see him smile.  
After a few days of trying to get through to Vinnie without success, she decided to make herself useful in a other way and continued her work with the communication centre. She completely lost herself in it, working day and night with only a few hours sleep. And now she was worrying Ruby. The red headed woman was not amused with the fact Kiwi locked herself in the garage, almost obsessed to get this thing to work. What a mess. The mice were worried about Throttle, Kiwi was worried about Vinnie and Ruby was worried about the mice and Kiwi. Well... they sure had better days…

Kiwi was typing something on her laptop, that was connected with the communication centre. She was trying to built the program that was running the transporter from Limburger, the program she hacked two times now to safe Chicago, the mice and herself. She used the portable transporter to get the right codes that were needed to make contact with Mars. And she almost had it. But the last two codes seemed to be wrong. She was staring at her screen, her tongue between her teeth in concentration.  
Almost…  
She was so close, she could feel it…  
Almost…  
"Kiwi?"  
FUCK.  
Kiwi looked over her shoulder, her eyes furming.  
Ruby was standing in the doorway, looking at Kiwi with the now oh so familiar look of concern. It made Kiwi's blood boil.  
"What?!"  
Ruby frowned by hearing the hostile tone in her voice. But she wasn't one that gave up easily.  
"You need to eat something, it's been almost two days since you eat…"  
"I'm not hungry." And Kiwi looked at her laptop again.  
"Kiwi… Come on… You need to take care of yourself…"  
Kiwi ignored her.  
"Is this about Vinnie?"  
Ruby saw Kiwi's shoulders and back tense when she heard Vinnie's name, but she still said nothing.  
"Kiwi…", but she didn't came further. Kiwi whirled around, her eyes almost spitting fire.  
"Leave me alone, Ruby! I need to focus!", she growled, her teeth clenched.  
Ruby held up her hands in surrender.  
"Fine. Then starve, by all means. I couldn't care less", and she turned around and marched away, closing the door with a loud bang.  
But Kiwi didn't even hear it. She turned her attention back on the screen, mumbling against herself. She was so close. Now wasn't the time to waste time at something foolish as eating.  
No.  
Throttle needed his girl. She could feel it. She could see it. So, she was gonna make it happen. One way or another.

Vinnie was lying on the couch on his back, bouncing a baseball against the ceiling. Over and over again.

*Bam*  
*Bam*  
*Bam*

It drove Modo, who was sitting on the other couch reading a magazine, crazy. Truth to be told, Vinnie was driving him crazy. The white furred mouse was one vibrating, cramped ball made of muscle and fur. It had been two week since Throttle got hurt and although he was making progress, he was still weak and slept most of the time. His wounds were healing good, but his body took quit the knocking. Modo had caught himself enjoying the rest for now. The whole thing had made a huge impact on the group. And they all needed time to recover. They were all tired. But then there was Vinnie…

*Bam*  
*Bam*  
*Bam*

Modo sighed and closed his eye for a moment.

*Bam*  
*Bam*  
*Bam*

The gray furred giant wasn't that patient as his tan furred bro. He squeezed the bridge of nose, trying to stay calm, but…

*Bam*  
*Bam*

Modo aimed his arm cannon and fired his laser at the ball that was going up again and before it could hit the ceiling again, the whole thing just turned into dust. Ahh… Finally…  
"Hey man, what gives?", Vinnie called out outraged, jumping at his feet, his tail lashing.  
"You were annoying me", Modo simply said, looking at his younger bro. Who looked like he was gonna explode any minute. Oh momma…  
These past few weeks had made one thing painfully clear; by the looks of things, Throttle was the only one who could keep Vinnie in line. Without the calmth of the tan furred mouse, Vinnie was transformed back into the wild young puppy he was when he was sixteen. But back then, he was at least a happy young puppy. Now, happiness was the last thing that was visible in the white furred mouse his eyes. Modo could see his younger bro had no idea how to handle this situation. And that he was just inches away from losing his shit.  
"Vin, come on… You need to chill, bro… Before you know it, Throttle is back on his feet and we're kicking good old Lard Butt his ass again..."  
"Chill? I need to chill?", Vinnie asked with a dangerously low voice, his fur bristled. "I'm locked into this house for weeks now, after I saw my bro dying right in front of me. Kiwi stopped talking to me, Throttle is still just lying there, I haven't got a descent fight in weeks now, didn't got any chance to blow something up, and now you blow up my fucking ball and you tell me I need to chill?!"  
Modo rubbed his chin, not impressed by Vinnie's anger.  
"Yeah, I guess that's sums it up pretty good, yeah…"  
He looked at Vinnie and the pure rage in his ruby red eyes concerned him.  
Not that he was afraid of him, oh no… Vinnie would think twice about attacking him… But...  
"Don't even think about, Vincent…", he started, but Vinnie ignored him. He marched straight outside and whistled at his bike.  
Modo quickly followed him.  
"Vincent, come back, you can't go out alone, you're…" but Vinnie was already gone.  
"...too upset…", Modo finished. Oh momma. This was bad.  
He was battling with himself if he needed to go after him. But leaving Throttle behind just didn't felt right. Even if he was in good hands with Ruby… Plus, Vinnie just proved he wasn't gonna listen to him. Even if he could catch up with his younger bro, which he highly doubted, it wasn't gonna make any difference. It would only upset him even more, probably.  
So, he trudget back inside, his shoulders hanging low in defeat and stopped next to Throttle's bed. The tan furred mouse was sleeping, snoring softly. Modo quickly checked the wounds, but they were almost completely healed. Modo suddenly caught himself wondering why his bro still wasn't back on his feet. Sure, his body had a lot to process. But still…

Suddenly, Kiwi ran into the room, a big smile on her face.  
Modo looked up startled at the young human girl, who looked like she had better days. Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin pale and her face was hollow. But her eyes were twinkling and she still had that big smile on her face.  
"Kiwi ma'am, are you okay?", Modo asked slowly, maybe even a little hesitated. She kinda gave him the expression as if she'd lost her mind, actually…  
"I did it, Modo, I did it!" and she jumped in his arms.  
Modo couldn't be more surprised, since Kiwi wasn't that physical touchy with them. Well, except with a certain white furred mouse, of course… But Modo pushed the thoughts about his younger bro out of his mind. The last thing he wanted to think of right now was the many ways Vinnie was getting himself into trouble at this very moment.  
"Eh… You did what exactly?", he stuttered, putting her gently back on her feet again.  
"Oh my god, I never thought I could do it, but I did! I can proudly announce that from this day, we are able to communicate with Mars. And not by using letters, no… by using video call!"  
Modo's jaw dropped and his eye grew big.  
"S-say what?"  
"You heard me!"  
Kiwi was almost bouncing on her feet. She lay a hand on Throttle's shoulder.  
"Throttle… wake up", she said softly, despite her excitement.  
Throttle stirred and opened his eyes. Kiwi quickly gave him his glasses and he put them on.  
"What is it, Kiwi?", he asked and Kiwi suddenly felt the urge to cry when she heard him saying these words with that calm voice of his.  
God.  
"I have a surprise for you…", she smiled. "You think you can walk? You don't have to go far, just to the garage…"  
"Kiwi ma'am, I'm not sure…", but Kiwi held up her hand to silence the gray furred giant.  
Ruby walked into the room.  
"What is going on here?", she asked strict.  
"I got a surprise for Throttle, but I need him in the garage, if that's okay?", Kiwi asked, without looking at Ruby.  
The red headed woman sighed and looked at Throttle.  
"It really is up to you, Throttle. If you think you can handle it? Your wounds are almost healed, so that shouldn't stop you."  
Throttle took a deep breath and slowly got upright. The wounds on his back and side were still painful, but it was doable.  
Kiwi grabbed his hand, hardly able to hide her excitement.  
"Oh, you're gonna love this, Throttle, trust me…"  
Throttle chuckled and slowly, he slid outta bed.  
Kiwi gently took him with her, still holding his hand. When they came into the garage, Throttle froze. He looked at the huge screen hanging at the wall, the big computer next to it and the camera that was hanging under the big screen. He also noticed that the small, portable transporter Carbine had made was now connected with the computer. He looked at Kiwi.  
"No… you… what?"  
"I think this is one of the first times I see you speechless", Kiwi giggled. "Come on, it's all yours to use it for the first time. I built it for you, after all."  
Throttle hardly could process all this, but one thing became very clear; he was gonna see Carbine. He was gonna be able to talk to her.  
Kiwi pushed him in the chair and quickly showed him how it worked. Of course, the tan furred mouse quickly caught on and Kiwi patted him on the shoulder.  
"We'll give you some privacy. Tell Carbine I said hi", and she dragged the still stunned Modo with her back inside the house, followed by a even more stunned Ruby.

Throttle took a deep breath and pushed the first button. The screen came to life, and he saw himself sitting in the chair, a hopeful glance on his face. His hand shook a little when he pushed the next button, the one that was gonna make the call to Mars.  
The screen flickered and Throttle waited, staring at the screen, his heart pounding in his chest. And suddenly…  
The image of Carbine filled the screen, minimizing his own image to right corner below.  
For a moment, they could only stare at each other. Carbine's beautiful brown eyes grew big in shock when she realized who she was looking at.  
"T-T-Throttle?", she stuttered, her voice a few tones higher than usual.  
Throttle smiled, a warm feeling filled him from head to toe.  
"Carbine… Hey, beautiful…"  
"Oh my god, Throttle, I can't believe this, how… Is this even real?"  
"Yeah, it is, babe. It really is me. God, it's so good to see you… to hear your voice…"  
"Likewise… You have no idea how glad I am to see you're okay… You are okay, right?", she asked with a worried look on her face, her eyes twinkling from tears that were threatening to overwhelm her.  
"I'm fine.. I did have a little run in with a bear a few weeks ago…", Throttle said slowly, not sure how to tell her this. He somehow had the feeling she already knew.  
"A bear?"  
"Hehehe, yeah…", and Throttle rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed.  
He told her everything that happened. She breathed in sharply when he told her about his few moments of death. He still remembered it. Everything.  
"So it was real…"  
Now it was Throttle who looked shocked at her.  
"What? What was real? Are you saying…?"  
"Yes, I am. I woke up from a horrible nightmare that same morning and you just described it. This is crazy... "  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Yeah… and interesting. We clearly share some kinda connection…"  
"Clearly…", and Carbine winked at him.  
"So, how are things going on Mars? Rimfire okay?"  
"Yeah, he is. He's missing his uncle though, since that's the only family he has left. But he knows you guys are needed on Earth."  
Throttle nodded.  
"And eh… Stoker?" He hardly dared to ask.  
Carbine's face darkened.  
"He went missing a few weeks back. We have reason to believe he's in a Plutarkian work camp and still alive. Rimfire is making a plan to get him out as soon as possible… But it isn't that easy. It never is…"  
Throttle sighed. This goddamn war… Was it ever gonna stop?  
"Are you gonna explain to me how in the world it is even possible we're talking right now?", Carbine asked to change the subject.  
"We can thank Kiwi for that. She used your portable transporter. That's all I know, actually. But she somehow made it work."  
"Well, thank her on behalf of me. She sure is a smart kid."  
"She sure is…"  
"How are Modo and Vinnie?"  
"Eh… To be honest, I have no idea. I eh… well… ahum…" Throttle pulled on his bandana around his neck, clearly not at ease.  
Carbine gave him a reassuring smile.  
"You can tell me, Throttle. I lived with Vinnie on this base a couple of years. Nothing can be more embarrassing than the moments we had."  
Throttle chuckled. He knew that was truth. Vinnie and Carbine, well… They weren't exactly on the same page…  
"I kinda gave up, I guess… I just couldn't drag myself outta that bed, even if my wounds are almost healed…"  
"Why? You never gave up before. Why now?"  
"Because I… I miss you. So much. And to be so far away from each other… It kinda made the whole thing, this whole war life, pointless… I lost my cause. And as Stoker once said; you can't be a rebel without a cause…"  
"Oh Throttle...", Carbine sighed.  
She shook her head, her beautiful black hair waved over her shoulders. He saw helplessness in her eyes and that took him off guard. She was always so strong… But it soon turned back into the look he was familiar with. Determination.  
"Listen to me, Throttle. You can't give up. Mars needs you. Earth needs you. You're right. You're fight there isn't over. We can't let the Plutarkians do the same thing they did to Mars. We need you there. This is our war. As long as these stinkfaces are walking around, stripmining planets, we are gonna keep fighting. And I wish I could promise you a peaceful future, a future without war, destruction and death. But I can't. War is unpredictable. We're risking our life every day. But that doesn't mean we have no cause. There's always a cause. And that's stopping the Plutarkians, once and for all."  
Throttle nodded. He knew she was right. This war was far from over. And there was no way they could just stop fighting. Earth deserved better.  
"At least we can talk to each other now… Update each other about our whereabouts, about the Plutarkians plans… We can fight this war together, Throttle."  
"And we will."  
Throttle suddenly found back his fighting spirit. She was right. God, what was he thinking? Giving up was so not his thing.  
Carbine saw the look in his eyes.  
"Don't beat yourself too hard, Throttle. We all have our moments… It's nothing to be ashamed of."  
"Thanks, babe. You always know how to make me feel better. I just wish I could hold you, kiss you… I miss you…"  
"I miss you too. And we will meet again. That I can promise."  
They smiled at each other. Suddenly, Throttle heard a voice behind Carbine and she turned around to hear what it said.  
"I'll be right there, give me one sec…"  
She sighed and turned around to face her first and only love.  
"Duty calls…"  
"It's alright, babe. Go. They need you. Talk to you later and be safe, okay?"  
"I will. You too, stranger."  
And she broke the connection.  
Throttle stared at the black screen, feeling more alive than he felt the past months. He was not sure how, but Kiwi had figured out he had needed this. She sure was a special girl.

When he walked back into the livingroom, Kiwi jumped at her feet and looked at him with a expectant look on her face.  
"And? Did it work?"  
"Yeah, it did, babe. Thank you. Really. It was exactly what I needed", and he pulled her in a tight hug.  
Kiwi hugged him back, smiling against his soft fur. She was so proud of herself. And she was so happy to see the transformation in Throttle. He looked better than ever. She made herself loose and he ruffled through her hair.  
"You really are something special. Oh, and Carbine told me to thank you."  
"I'm just glad I could help someone...", Kiwi suddenly trailed off.  
Throttle looked around the room and saw Ruby and Modo sitting on the couch, looking at him with relief. And he suddenly realized he missed something. Well, someone actually… Someone white furred, arrogant and hyper.  
"Where is Vinnie?"

"AAAAOOWWW! I'm still the best, better than the best!"  
Vinnie landed on his tires again after a spectacular jump off a bridge that was going over the highway. He hit the accelerator, continuing his manhunt on the guy riding the trike. He looked in his mouse shaped mirror and saw the rest of the gang were still following him. Vinnie shook his head, smiling arrogant at himself.  
As if they had a chance…

 _30 minutes earlier_

Vinnie rushed through the streets, pushing his bike to the limits. He had so much tension in his body, he thought he was gonna explode. He was constantly grinding his teeth with so much strength, his jaw was cramped. His heart was racing in his chest. His breathing was wild. His tail was twitching, so were his ears and left eye. He needed to blow off some steam before he was really gonna lose his mind. He pushed everything away, all his thoughts, all his emotions, and the only thing he focussed on was driving like a mad man, to feel the adrenaline he needed so badly.  
Without thinking, he drove to the ghetto of Chicago, finding himself looking around curiously… Okay, okay… he was obviously searching for a fight. He flew around a corner and needed to hit the brakes all of a sudden, to avoid he was gonna crash into the biker gang that was standing on the middle of the road. He stopped inches before a guy that was sitting on his bike, who was obviously not amused by the sudden appearance of the white furred mouse. He was wearing a black leather jacket and a red bandana around his neck.  
"Hey! Get the hell outta here, punk!", he screamed.  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest.  
"Geez, what is up with the aggressive attitude, sweetheart? I'm not the one who is standing on the middle of the road, having a tea party…"  
The guy stared at him for a moment, probably surprised this guy on his red racing bike wasn't scared of him. The rest of the group tensed and some of the big and strong looking men slowly came closer.  
"What did you just say?", the guy growled between clenched teeth. But before Vinnie could answer, he heard a loud scream and saw a guy running outta the building closeby. The man jumped in a trike that was parked at the side of the road, signing at his friends he was ready to go.  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes. It wasn't that hard to guess what was going on here. The gang probably had been on watch while this guy did something against the law. What that was, Vinnie had no idea, but did he care?  
Nope.  
Who cares about the details? It was finally tail whipping time.  
The trike sped away and the gang wanted to follow him, but Vinnie was quicker. He revved his bike and pushed a button, a smile on his face. His lasers came out.  
"And now, gentleman, it's time to ROCK… and RIDE!"  
He popped a wheelie and when his front tire hit the ground again, he sped forward, firing his laser. The gang quickly sped away, all in a different direction and Vinnie had a free ticket to start the chase on the guy in the trike. But the gang didn't gave up that easily and Vinnie heard the man with the red bandana screaming to get him.  
The guy in the trike was fast, but Vinnie had no trouble to keep up with him. The trike suddenly took the lower highway and Vinnie saw that as the perfect opportunity to take the short cut. He steered his bike on the higher highway and when he was at the highest point, he jumped down.  
"AAAAOOWWW! I'm still the best, better than the best!"  
Vinnie landed on his tires again and hit the accelerator, continuing his manhunt on the guy riding the trike. He looked in his mouse shaped mirror and saw the rest of the gang was still following him. Vinnie shook his head, smiling arrogant at himself. As if they had a chance…  
He chased the man till they were outta town and Vinnie decided it was now time to make his move. He pushed a button on his handlebar and a missile flew out his bike, exploding right before the trike. The guy had no idea what was happening and he crashed right into the crater. Vinnie came to a halt with shrieking brakes, looking into the crater with a evil smirk on his face. The trike was totalled, and the guy unconsciousness.  
"Hehehe. That's what you get when you mess with the law. You mess with Vinnie van Wham, the baddest mamma jammer from this side of the asteroid belt. Sucker…"  
He looked up and saw the rest of the gang surrounding him.  
He heard multiple clicks, a all to familiar sound.  
Vinnie quickly counted.  
Fifteen men, ten guns aimed at his head….  
He shrugged. Fair odds.  
"End of the line, punk…", the man with the red bandana smiled evilly. "We got you now…"  
Vinnie sighed exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes.  
"Who said you got me, sweetheart?" and the white furred mouse came into action.  
He popped a wheelie and fired his jets, flying into the air. The gang first only stared at this, they had never seen anything like this before.  
"Fire!", the man with the red bandana yelled, it was obvious he was the leader. They opened fire, but Vinnie was already too high.  
"You can run! But you can't hide!", the man screamed in anger.  
Vinnie breathed in sharply, his blood boiling all of a sudden.  
Running.  
Pfuh.  
As if he ever did.  
He landed a couple of meters away from the gang and faced them, revving his bike.  
"Let me just make one thing very clear here and that is… I never run…", he said with a ice cold voice and he opened fire, driving full speed towards the gang. They fired back, but it was no use. Vinnie kept firing and firing, and they weren't up against such heavy firepower.  
"Retreat!", the leader yelled and they turned their bikes.  
"Hey hey hey! The game's not over till the fat lady sings! HAHAHA!", Vinnie laughed maniacally, still firing. "Look who's running now… fucking cowards…"  
He pushed another button on his bike, ready to fire another missile, when suddenly…  
"Vincent, stop. That's far enough…"  
Throttle's voice.  
Vinnie hit the brakes and saw Throttle and Modo stopping in front of him. He looked past them and saw the gang quickly grabbing their comrade out of the crater and driving away.  
"Hey! There getting away! And just when I was starting to get warmed up!", Vinnie protested, still hyped up from the huge adrenaline rush. He revved his bike, but Throttle parked his bike right in front of his, to block his way.  
"Vincent, I'm not gonna warn you again. Stand down."  
Vinnie stared at his leader, his tail lashing through the air, his eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched… and then he relaxed. The adrenaline slowly wore off, well, most of it. Enough to realize Throttle was standing in front of him. On his bike.  
Wait, what? How did that happen?  
"Bro, you…Eh… I eh…", he stuttered, suddenly feeling very small under the warning look from his tan furred bro.  
Then, he looked at Modo, who was, by the looks of things, also not that amused with him.  
Well, maybe he did got kinda carried away…  
"Let's ride…", Throttle ordered. "We'll talk about this back at home."  
Him and Modo turned their bikes and Vinnie followed them on a slow pace that didn't match with him at all. Like a kid that knew he did something against the rules and was getting punished for it when they got home.  
Oh boy…

* * *

You guys didn't really think I would let Throttle die, right? No, that would break my own heart.

But you gotta admit… it sure was a good cliffhanger… Muawahaha!

Anywayz, I decided to end this chapter a little less tense. To give you guys some time to recover ;)

But what will happen next? Are Vinnie and Kiwi gonna be able to clear the air between them? Is Throttle gonna be able to get Vinnie back in line?

And how are things between Modo and Ruby?

We'll see…

Please, feel free to review and till next time, citizens!

Later!

PS: I used a few lines of "Sound of Silence", btw. These words are not owned by me. Fucking disclaimers... I almost forgot... XD


	37. Chapter 36

Thank you so much for the reviews, we reached the 100! Can't believe it. Thank you so much for your support!

So, here's another update, pretty soon, I know. I just was in this flow, it was crazy. I spend a lot of time writing these past few days, but I think the next update is gonna take a little longer, just so you guys know ;)

So, this chapter is tense. A look inside the head of someone who never talks about his pain, about his traumatic experiences, who always wears a mask, pretending to be okay. But at some point, that has to go wrong. You can't just keep everything inside, letting it eat you up slowly, letting it poisoning you. I know how it feels like. I wrote about it because it's something I struggle with daily. Of course, in this story, it's a bit more extreme.

Anywayz, hope you guys like it.

* * *

 **Chapter thirty six**

Vinnie was staring at his bro's backs, who were still riding in front of him. Where he at first felt guilty that he just ran off to get himself into trouble, he now somehow felt annoyed his bro's had stopped him before he could finish the job. Sure, he had his fun, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough after these two weeks, being locked up and reliving his bro's death just over and over again. His bro's were talking to each other, Vinnie could hear their voices over the radio, but he couldn't focus on what they were saying.  
His heart was still racing. The cramp in his jaw made him aware he was still grinding his teeth. He still had that irritating twitch in his left eye. Fucking hell…  
And how in the world was it even possible that Throttle was driving in front of him, while he was still in his bed when he had left the house a hour ago? Why was he acting as if nothing happened, when it was very clear that the world had stopped spinning since that moment he'd stopped breathing that day back in the woods? Vinnie grabbed his handlebars tightly. God, he was on edge, alright. And he hated it. He hated himself for being like this. For not being able to handle this. It gave him the feeling he was weak.  
He looked at Modo, who was talking and laughing with Throttle. Same old, same old. As if nothing happened. How did he do that? Vinnie just couldn't wrap his mind around it.  
I mean, look at him. He was a nervous wreck. A ticking time bomb. A thing he was very aware of. But a thing he had no control over.

He noticed that he'd started to slow down. The distance between him and his bro's became bigger. And they didn't even notice it. It was clear they weren't paying attention to him at all.  
Vinnie couldn't care less. He was so not in the mood to 'talk' right now. Ugh.  
His bro's drove around a corner and Vinnie lost them outta his sight for a moment. Still, he was planning on following them. He really was. And if it wasn't for the big guy with the red bandana, he would've succeeded.  
But when he wanted to make the turn, a heavy weight slammed against his right side and before Vinnie even had time to process what was happening, he flew off his bike and landed hard on the ground. The rough landing struck the air outta his lungs and he had this short moment of panic because he couldn't breathe. He gasped for air, knowing he had to get back on his feet. But there was no time. He only saw a flash of faces above him, laughing loudly, before someone kicked him.  
Hard.  
The scraped shoe hit him right between his ribs and he moaned in pain, still not able to fill his lungs with enough air to fight back. Another shoe kicked against his head, making his helmet fly off. H  
e heard the men breath in sharply. All of them. At the same time.  
Really, it would've been funny under other circumstances.  
It did gave Vinnie a short moment to breathe. But it still wasn't enough. He looked up and saw the whole gang standing around him, a shocked look on their faces. The leader with the red bandana kneeled down and grabbed Vinnie by his bandana, pulling him closer to study him.  
"A mouse?", he eventually asked, a patronizing tone in his voice.  
Vinnie knew he had to keep his big mouth shut, but his lips curled into a smirk without thinking. He looked the guy straight in the eye, still breathing heavily. The pain in his side was killing him. He probably broke a few ribs.  
"Boo. Am I still allowed to join your next tea party, though? It all looked so cosy and cute.. The only things missing were the unicorns and lollipops..."  
The guy narrowed his eyes.  
"A stubborn mouse, who doesn't know when he lost…"  
"Who? Moi? It was you who ran away after all, crying for your mommie…", Vinnie provoked him. He just couldn't stop himself.

The leader clenched his fist and punched the white furred mouse right under his right eye.  
At the unharmed side of his face.  
His pretty face.  
That was already fucked up.  
Vinnie felt his blood boil, but before he could do something, the guy hit him again and this time with so much force, Vinnie landed hard on the ground, making the back of his head slamming against the pavement.  
"Ah man, come on…", he gasped in pain.  
His mouth filled with blood, since the hard landing had forced his teeth into his lip and tongue. He spit out the blood, turning his head, but the guy grabbed him again.  
"What's the matter, mouse? Lost your tongue?"  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes, still having a hard time breathing.  
"Nevah."  
The guy studied him, somehow impressed by what he was seeing. His gaze landed on Vinnie's mask.  
"What do you have to hide under that mask, I wonder…" and he slowly raised his hand.  
But a black, fingerless gloved hand grabbed his wrist in an iron grip. The guy was startled for a moment, but soon recovered. But when he looked back into the ruby red eyes, he froze again. The eyes of the mouse were almost burning, spitting out pure rage.

The moment the guy had reached out for his mask, something had snapped in Vinnie's head.  
No one, no man, no mouse, no human, no woman was allowed to take off his mask. Especially not some low life criminal, who earned his money by stealing and probably dealing drugs too. Enough was enough.  
His hand was still around the guys wrist and in one movement, he broke it. He felt the bones snap under his fingers and it somehow gave him such a satisfying feeling. The guy screamed loud in pain, bending over and letting go off Vinnie's bandana. Vinnie used that moment to jump back on his feet, planting his knee in the guys face in the process. The tough guy fell backwards, crying in pain while holding his hand with his eyes wide open. His friends tried to grab Vinnie, but the white furred mouse finally had enough air, plus a lot of anger to let out. He used his tail to tackle a few of them, while hitting two others straight in the face, knocking them out immediately. The others scrambled back on their feet and one of them grabbed Vinnie by the arm. The latter turned around and elbowed him in the face. Another one tried to grab his tail, but the white long tail slapped him in the face before he could succeed.

Soon, there was only one guy left and Vinnie threw himself on him, punching him the face, over and over again. Somewhere deep down, he knew he needed to stop. That this was crazy. That he needed to fight this anger, that was completely taking him over, and not this random guy. But he just couldn't control himself.  
As usual. Story of his life.  
But the guy didn't gave up that easily and when Vinnie raised his fist again, he used that moment to pull on Vinnie's ear.  
Hard.  
Vinnie let out a growl in pain, since their ears are very sensitive. The guy under him took advantage of the short moment Vinnie was distracted and rolled over, dragging the white furred mouse with him.  
Now he was sitting on top of Vinnie. He clenched his fist and Vinnie looked at his face. His eyes were wide open, blood was streaming outta his nose, he clearly missed a few teeth... The guys fist landed on Vinnie's nose and he raised it again…  
Vinnie tensed his muscles, ready to fight him, but suddenly, the weight on top of him was gone. The guy was gone.  
Vinnie jerked upright, looking wildy around him. He suddenly saw Modo standing in front of him, throwing the guy away as if he was just a piece of paper.  
Throttle kneeled down next to him.  
"Vincent, stand down...", but he didn't sound that confident as he had wanted.  
The tan furred mouse looked at his younger bro. He sure had better days. Bruises were already visible under the fur on the right side of his face, his eye was a bit swollen, blood dripped out of his nose and to make things complete, he had a nasty looking cut in his lower lip.  
Throttle sighed heavily while raising his hand to help him up, but Vinnie pushed him away, jumping at his feet.  
"Don't touch me! Leave me the fuck alone!"  
Throttle slowly rose at his feet and Modo joined him.  
"Vincent, calm down…", the tan furred mouse said softly.  
It was a very long time ago since the last time they had been in this situation. It wasn't the first time this happened. They had been here before. But it somehow felt different. More… intense...  
"It's just us, bro…", Modo added, looking worried at Vinnie. He was a mess alright.  
Vinnie spit out blood and bend over to grab his helmet.  
Throttle suddenly was standing in front of him and he lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
"What is eating you, bro?", he asked. Vinnie stared at him.  
He heard the low husky voice of his bro, his friend, his leader speaking these words and for a very short moment, it gave him goosebumps and a rare feeling of peace. But that soon changed. Was he even serious right now? Vinnie suddenly felt the twitch at his left eye was back.  
"Are you seriously asking me what is eating me?", he asked, his voice a few tones higher than usual.  
Throttle nodded firmly.  
"Yeah, I am. I mean, look at you. You look like you're possessed by the devil himself. You're obviously very upset. You go out to search for fight, run into these guys, and if we hadn't stopped you, you would've blew them to the seventh galaxy. Then we lose you outta our sight for only one second and we find you here, beaten up and a whole battlefield of wounded people around you… So ehm... yeah, I'm asking you what's eating you."  
Vinnie did a few steps forward until his nose almost touched Throttle's nose.  
"You're asking me what is eating me?", he repeated, his tail twitching, but Throttle didn't flinch. He wasn't scared his younger bro would attack him. And if he did try… well, then he would have a even bigger problem than he already had.  
"Well, let's just start with the part that you died. You fucking died, Throttle. Luckily, we got ya back, but you still died. After that, you're lying in bed for weeks... And yet here you are, standing in front of me, having the nerve to lecture me, to act as if nothing happened…", Vinnie said between clenched teeth, breathing heavily. He poked his finger against Throttle's chest and this time, his nose touched Throttle's.  
"But you died. THAT'S what's eating me."  
He almost spit out the words. Then, he turned around and whistled at his bike. The red machine came to life and drove up next to him.  
Vinnie jumped on and drove away with dangerous speed.

Modo also jumped on his bike, but Throttle lifted his hand.  
"Let him go."  
"But, Throttle…"  
"I said, let him go…"  
Modo shut his mouth, looking at Throttle, who was still standing at the same spot, clearly deep in thoughts.  
"You okay, bro?"  
The tan furred mouse didn't respond, still zoomed out. Modo walked over to him.  
"I'm sure he didn't mean it, he just.. he's just lost… Almost losing you, well… he took it very hard…And you know how he is..."  
Throttle suddenly looked at Modo.  
"He's right, you know…"  
Modo narrowed his eye, studying his bro's face.  
"What…"  
"He's right. I was wrong, by acting as if nothing happened. I should've know… I've let him down… I've let you both down… I…"  
"Throttle, bro… You are not making any sense right now…"  
"I gave up. When I was lying in that bed. I just gave up. I just couldn't do this anymore. This life, this war, everything… felt so pointless… Man, he must have felt it, somehow... Not sure if he's even aware of it, but he… he knows."  
Throttle looked more defeated than Modo had ever saw him before. He grabbed Throttle by the shoulders and the tan furred mouse looked up at his older bro, somehow startled by the firm grip.  
"Bro, now you listen to me. You need to stop carrying the whole world on your shoulders. This life, it's just… You're right, it somehow is pointless. But it's our life and that's final. You can't always be strong. We all give up at some point, and nobody can blame you for that. It's about how you get yourself back up on your feet that's important… And you did. You took a hard hit. You gave up. But here you are, back on your feet again. Vinnie needs to understand you're not invincible, you're a mouse made outta flesh and bones, with feelings… He needs to understand that even if you're our leader, you're also vulnerable, same as everybody else… Oh momma, I even forget sometimes. Seeing you lying in that bed, it was hard… But Ruby helped me realize you also have every right to break sometimes…"  
Throttle just stared at Modo. The gray furred giant let him go, somehow embarrassed to speak this open about his feelings. But Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"I never thought about it that way, but you're right, big fella…Thanks…"  
"We're bro's. Family. We share a connection that runs deeper than blood. Vinnie will come around. He needs you and he knows that. If one thing became very clear this few weeks, is that he needs you."  
"I know... Let's go home, big guy. Before this place is infested by cops…"  
And they drove back home in silence.

Vinnie parked his bike wildly in front of the guesthouse and he slowly climbed off, moaning in pain. These guys sure packed a serious punch. If Throttle hadn't stopped him the first time, this was never happened.  
God dammit.  
He stumbled to the door, holding his side with one hand. Jesus, even breathing was painful. He opened the door and almost fell inside, leaning against the wall to support himself.  
Fucking hell, he was so angry.  
'What's eating you?'  
ARGH! Honestly, was he blind?  
Vinnie froze for a moment and started laughing. Blind. You get it?  
But his face twisted in pain and he immediately stopped laughing again.  
Dammit.  
He leaned against the kitchen counter, breathing heavily. Very carefully, he lay his hand against his ribs and pushed. He felt something scraping against each other and pain almost made him throw up. Yep. Definitely broken.  
He'd just started his way to his bedroom, when the door behind him opened.  
He froze and pricked his ears. A familiar scent filled his nose.  
"Vinnie? Are you alright?"  
The last thing he needed right now, was a worried Kiwi. He just wanted to go to bed, pull the blanket over his head and sleep for like, I dunno, a year or so.  
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he sighed heavily, turning around.  
Kiwi breathed in sharply when she saw his face. Her eyes looked at the bruised skin that shined through his fur, at the cut in his lip, the blood on his face… Her gaze lowered and saw the way he was holding his side. More bruises on his torso and his pants was dirty and torn.  
"Jesus, Vin, what happened to you?"  
"Ugh, it's nothing, sweetheart, just some battle tattoos. Nothing that won't heal. Now, please, just leave me alone…" and he stumbled towards his bedroom.  
But Kiwi stopped him.  
"Please, talk to me. You're shutting me out and it's scaring me, Vinnie. It feels like I'm losing you… And I can't…"  
Vinnie whirled around, clenching his teeth because of the pain this movement caused. His blood was already boiling again, his eyes spitting fire.  
Kiwi scrambled back, completely taken off guard by this sudden appearance of aggressiveness.  
"I am REALLY not in the mood to listen to your pathetic whining... doll", and he said the last word with a patronizing tone in his low voice.  
He felt a small hint of pain when he saw the shocked and hurted look in her eyes. But the anger pushed everything away. He turned around and continued his journey to his bedroom. This time, Kiwi let him go. He heard the door closing behind her when she left the guesthouse. He finally made it to his bed and he lay down, moaning in pain.  
God. What a mess. What a fucking mess.

Throttle opened Kiwi's door. Ruby had told him that shortly after Vinnie got home, Kiwi came back into the house really upset, screaming something about the white furred mouse, what, she had no idea, and after that, she had run to her room. Throttle had decided to talk to the upset human girl, because he had the feeling she needed him. He walked into her room and saw her lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her head turned his way when he came in and their eyes locked for a moment.  
Oh man…  
He sat down next to her on the bed and ruffled lovingly through her hair.  
"Nobody said loving him would be easy", he simply said.  
Kiwi let out a humorless laugh.  
"That's a understatement."  
"I never got the chance to thank you, babe. You saved my life, that day in the forest. You made it possible for me to talk to Carbine. I owe you, big time. Thank you."  
His husky voice. The calm he radiated. Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying this moment. She had needed this so badly. When everything was threatening to fall apart, in the middle of chaos, there was Throttle. Calm. Wise. She looked up at him.  
"I would do it again, without thinking."  
"How did you know? I mean, that I needed her so badly?", he suddenly asked, a little hesitant.  
"I dunno… just a feeling, I guess… I started the project weeks ago, because I saw in your eyes how much you missed her. Sure, the letters helped, but it just wasn't enough. I figured, when I saw you lying in that bed, kinda… helpless, kinda lost… Only one person could guide you back."  
The tan furred mouse gently took her hand.  
"You were right. It was exactly what I needed. To find back strength. Thank you.'  
"No problem. At least I was able to make somebody happy…"  
"You know anger is safer than letting in pain, right?"  
Kiwi let out her breath.  
"Yeah… I know… Jesus, Throttle, you didn't see him that day, that horrible day… It's haunting me. The look in his eyes is following me everywhere… No matter if I'm awake or asleep..."  
A tear escaped her left eye.  
"Everybody here is completely lost without you… I mean, no pressure, but I've seen it. I've felt it. We all need you. So badly…"  
"But somehow, everybody seems to forget I also need all of you... ", he whispered. His grip around her hands tightened.  
"We need each other. We're a family. As long as we got each other, we can survive everything…"  
Kiwi smiled sadly.  
"Guess you're right. So, we just need to stick together, right?"  
"Right. Even if someone is pushing you away in anger, because he's just scared to let in the pain. He needs you, Kiwi. Even if he's pretending to be better off alone…"  
"God, he really is a piece of work… But then again, aren't we all? I also pushed Ruby away because I couldn't handle Vinnie's rejection. Dammit. What a mess…"  
"You said it, babe. But trust me, everything's gonna be okay…"  
A huge relief warmed up Kiwi's body. She had waited for weeks to hear him say these words. She had needed that so badly.  
"Words cannot describe how happy I am you're back, Throttle. Really… Without you, everything just falls apart."  
Throttle smiled.  
"The perks of being a leader, right? Go to sleep, Kiwi. You look like you need it."  
Kiwi yawned as answer, her eyes were already closing.  
"Thanks, Throttle… for being there for me. For us… I love you. You're the big brother I never had..", she whispered.  
Throttle gently pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in.  
"And you gave me back a sister who I also love… Sweet dreams…"  
Kiwi snuggled against her pillow and after a deep sigh, she was out like a light.  
"I'll do everything to protect you…", Throttle whispered and after one more look at the human girl, he rose on his feet and left the room, quiet as a mouse.

Right side.  
Left side.  
Belly.  
Back.

 **Argh!**

No matter what position he tried, his body still hurted like hell.  
Vinnie stared at the ceiling, trying to keep his breathing calm and shallow. But that was hard. He was still the opposite of calm. The whole night, he had been twisting and turning, sleeping for short moments, but waking up the moment he moved a muscle. These guys sure had him good, alright. He didn't like to admit it, but the pain in his body was a constant, painful reminder of his failure.  
Vinnie pulled the blanket over his head with a growl, curling himself up. He felt sick. As if he had a fever, or something. His whole body was glowing, he had this weird headache and his muscles didn't stop shaking. Bring the broken ribs and bruises into the mix and you got the perfect picture of a miserable feeling mouse.  
Ugh.  
The anger, that had completely overruled him yesterday, was still simmering under the surface. His left eye was still twitching and he was surprised he even got any teeth left. Jesus, what was wrong with him? Was this how it felt to go completely loco? Why couldn't he just move on with his life, being the happy note he always was? Sure, he carried a lot of shit with him, and some things fucked him up more than the other, but at least he was able to live his life in joy most of the time. He hardly recognized himself. There was only a shadow left from the mouse he once was, that's how it felt at least.  
He squeezed his eyes, clenching his teeth. A sharp pain jolted through his jaw. But everytime he closed his eyes, he saw Throttle. Lying on the ground in that horrible forest.  
Dead.  
His eyes flew open. Dammit, since when was such a pussy? He was Vinnie van Wham, for fuck sake. Why was he hiding in bed, shivering as a small child that was scared of the dark? Throttle died, yes. But he came back. He was sleeping in the room next to him. He was fine. Completely fine. Then why wasn't he?  
Weak.  
He hated that word. He hated it even more than he hated cheese, and that was saying something. But he felt weak right now. And god, it was killing him. He hated himself for it. He hated it, that he completely lost himself yesterday. Well, he hated it even more that his bro's had witnessed it. He hated himself. Yeah, you heard it. Vinnie van Wham, the velocity atrocity, the baddest mamma jammer from this whole universe, the most good looking mouse ever, hated himself. Ugh. Look at him. Here he was, lying in bed, feeling sorry for himself. And he suddenly couldn't take it anymore.  
He threw away the blanket and almost bounced outta bed, trying to ignore the pain in his body.

He grabbed his pants and put it on with shaking hands. He tried to do the same with his bandoliers, but his hands were shaking too bad. After a few attempts, he let out a scream in frustration and threw the bandoliers against the wall with a loud bang. They slid down and landed on the floor.  
Okay, shoes. He put them on without too much trouble. He grabbed a black hoodie and pulled it over his head, a growl escaped his mouth because of the pain of his broken ribs. No need to show off right now. He somehow even felt naked with his clothes on. He strapped his holster around his leg and put his gun in it.  
He threw the door open, not even trying to be silence for his bro's and marched to the kitchen door, the one that led to the garden. He tried to open it, but it was locked.  
Dammit.  
Since when was this door locked? The key was still in the lock and he tried to open it, but his hands… his goddamn hands weren't cooperating right now.  
And that was the final push. His anger fired as a missile that exploded and without even thinking, he lifted his foot and kicked the door open. The glass shattered and the whole thing just flew out of its hinges and landed on the grass. But Vinnie hardly noticed. He just needed to… yeah, to do what, exactly?  
Run.  
He needed to run away from all this feelings that were whirling inside of him.

 _It's easier to run  
_ _Replacing this pain for something numb..._

He stumbled outside. Where was his bike? Dammit, his bro's probably parked it in the garage. He whistled between his teeth. He heard her starting her engine and one of the garage doors exploded when she burst outside, somehow sensing how much her rider needed her. Vinnie stumbled further while his bike was driving towards him. Almost… He stretched his hand, but suddenly, something heavy jumped on his back and he fell on the ground. His chin landed on the grass and even though it was a soft subsurface, it still was enough to make the cut in his lip split open again. He tasted the blood, but he didn'tcare. The weight was still sitting on him, making every muscle scream in pain. But nothing was gonna stop him. He needed to get the hell away from here.

 _It's so much easier to go  
_ _Then face all this pain her all alone..._

He wiggled to get loose, but dammit, it felt as if Modo was sitting on him…  
"Jesus Vinnie, what the hell is wrong with you?!", he heard Modo's heavy voice rumbling.  
Ah.  
Vinnie clenched his teeth, trying to push himself up.  
"Let. Me. Go.", he growled between clenched teeth, but Modo didn't move.  
"No way. You stay right here", Modo growled back.  
Vinnie's rage fired again, and his tail snaked around Modo's throat. He gave a firm jerk and forced Modo to fall backwards. And suddenly, he was free again.  
He scrambled back on his feet and tried to run to his bike, but a metal hand grabbed his right ankle in a iron grip and again, he landed on his belly.  
"LET ME GO!", Vinnie screamed in pure rage now, kicking with his feet while trying to crawl to his bike.  
But Modo grabbed him by the back of his pants, pulled him closer and pushed him against the ground.  
"NO! No, no, no! I need to get outta here… GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"  
"Vinnie, come on, calm down!", he heard Modo breathing, but it somehow sounded so far away.  
The anger, the sorrow, the pain, the helplessness, it all became one, big wave of emotion and Vinnie felt it was about to flush him, to completely wash him away.  
No…  
He kicked, he struggled, he did everything he could, but Modo was stronger. And also angry.  
"VINCENT!"  
Throttle's voice.  
Vinnie froze for a moment. But the panic immediately came back. The wave was coming. He needed to get the hell away from here.  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!", he screamed, but it was too late. The wave arrived. And there it was.  
Vinnie broke.  
He stopped struggling and a scream of pain escaped his mouth. He hit with his fist on the grass, trying to breathe, but the wave completely suffocated him. He pushed himself up, leaning on his knees and hands, his head low, gasping for air.

 _Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past..._

He saw the image of himself, 16 years old, holding his mother in his arms while she was dying. Pure fear in her eyes, looking up at him. That moment when her soul left her body. How her always lively eyes became completely blank. Glassy. Empty.  
The brutally mutilated body of his father lying behind him.

 _Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have_

Tears filled his eyes. He tried to stop it, but it just wasn't his decision anymore.  
The image changed, he saw himself looking at the mouse that had killed his parents. His hand stretched out, aiming a gun at his head. His finger pulling that trigger. Blood that splattered all over him.

 _Wounds so deep they never show_

The war. Him fighting in the front line, seeing friends fall in the corners of his eyes, but there was no time to stop, no time to think, no time to process...  
"No…"

 _They never go away..._

That horrible lab. That horrible giggle. The needles. The big scalpel.  
"No, no, no, no…"

 _Like moving pictures in my head_

Harley. Her beautiful blue eyes, filled with love and compassion when she helped him with his wounds. The same eyes, filled with pure agony when she realized what was happening when Mace grabbed her.

 _For years and years they've played..._

Vinnie punched his fist against the floor again. And again. He was still trying to breathe, but he hardly could.  
Throttle's lifeless body on the floor. That moment of pure darkness.

 _If I could change I would take back the pain I would..._

The pain overwhelmed him and he squeezed his eyes, clenching his teeth with so much strength, his jaw immediately cramped. Tears escaped between his lashes.  
"Vinnie..."  
The voice of a angel.  
Her scent filled his nose.  
He felt her hand touching his arm.  
Suddenly, her warm arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.  
All the pain.  
All the sorrow.  
The losses.  
He clung onto her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. His body shook with crying, his tears were a constant stream instead of drops, he weaved his fingers into her soft hair… She just held him, rubbing his back, looking at Throttle and Modo with eyes wide in shock. Throttle gave her a reassuring smile. Sometimes, things needed to become a whole lot worse before they could get better. But still…  
Seeing Vinnie this broken, jesus… It was a lot to take in.  
By the looks of things, Throttle's almost death was the final push. The last drop that made the bucket, that was already full, flood over.

Ruby suddenly came running outside.  
"What the hell is going on here, I heard so much noise and… oh….", she trailed off, looking at the devastated white furred mouse in Kiwi's arms. She looked around her, noticing the destruction.  
"Right. Does he need something to calm down?", she asked, already turning around to run back inside to grab her bag with supplies, but Kiwi stopped her.  
"No. No, no matter how hard this is, he needs to let it out. If we sedate him now, this was all for nothing…"  
"She's right… He needs to learn this isn't gonna kill him", Throttle agreed. Modo also nodded.  
"Okay. Okay."  
Ruby took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Modo wrapped a arm around her and pulled her against him.

Vinnie slowly felt he could breathe again. His lungs filled themselves with precious air. The pain in his chest started to fade. He opened his eyes and grabbed Kiwi's head. He looked at her, at her beautiful blue eyes, filled with shock and sadness. He pressed his forehead against hers, still breathing heavily. Tears were still dripping out of his eyes and he breathed in sharply before pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her roughly and Kiwi kissed him back. She could taste his blood that was still coming out the cut in his lower lip, but she didn't care. All that mattered now, was him and her.  
She broke off the kiss, cupping his head.  
"Sssshh… It's okay. I'm here, with you, beside you. To guard you and to guide you…"  
Vinnie slowly calmed down. His breathing relaxed. His muscles too.  
But shame came along.

 _I would take all the shame to the grave..._

Jesus.  
What the fuck.  
He felt a blush appearing on his cheeks and he suddenly didn't dare to look at Kiwi anymore. But Kiwi lifted his head.  
"Oh Vinnie… Who am I to judge you? I would never judge you…"  
Vinnie gave her a shy smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He felt guilty. He was ashamed that he lost his shit like that. Fucking hell, it even scared the shit outta himself. He slowly untangled himself from Kiwi, and after taking a deep breath, he looked up at Throttle, who kneeled down next to him.  
Vinnie grabbed his arm and cleared his throat. He could only hope his voice was gonna cooperate.  
"Bro… I… " His voice worked, although a little hoarse. It were the words that didn't came.  
Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's okay, Vin. I know. But I'm still here, you know. You can't get rid of me that easily…", he smiled.  
Vinnie pulled on his bandana, clearly not at ease.  
"You better stay for a little while longer, bro... ", he eventually said.  
Then, he took a deep breath. Things were already fucked up. Nothing could make this any worse. So he just said it.  
"I need you. I can't do all this on my own. I'm not ready to walk alone, yet…"  
God, this was humiliating. But it somehow felt good to say it out loud at the same time.  
"You don't have too. I'm here."  
Vinnie nodded, and suddenly the pain in his body was back.  
"Ah man, I feel like I've been run over by a train…", he moaned, holding his side.  
Throttle rose on his feet.  
"Come, let's get you inside. I think we can all use some breakfast…"  
He helped Vinnie up, who was wobbling on his feet, and supported him inside. The rest followed, still a little upset because of all this.

When they were inside the kitchen, Ruby took a good look at Vinnie and her eyes grew big.  
"Jesus, you're one walking bruise instead of a bouncing ball", she said, coming closer to him.  
Vinnie scrambled backwards, not sure what she was up to.  
She raised her hands and held them in front of her.  
"Easy, now, macho mouse. I'm not gonna hurt you. But let me just check on you, okay?"  
Vinnie glared at her, but then relaxed a little.  
"Okay, fine…"  
She slowly came closer, keeping a close eye on the white furred mouse. But he was completely empty. This whole thing had completely drained him out. She softly lay her hands against his side and he breathed in sharply and he backed away. But Ruby grabbed him his hoodie and pulled him back, a strict look on her face. She quickly examined him and Vinnie let her. He was too tired to feel anything else than pain, shame and fatigue.  
"Broken ribs and a whole lot of bruises. But no sign of internal bleedings. No difficulty with breathing?"  
"No… Not anymore…"  
"Good. You'll be fine. That cut in your lip is deep, but it will heal without stitches. Maybe you want to take some painkillers though, but that's up to you."  
"Maybe that isn't such a bad idea, doc…", Vinnie sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. Kiwi hurried upstairs to grab the aspirin.  
Ruby started to prepare breakfast and Modo and Throttle also sat down. Vinnie was staring at the table, shuffling his feet, feeling all uncomfortable. Kiwi came back and gave him the bottle of pills. He took two of them and washed them away with root beer. They soon did the job and the pain in his body slowly faded till it was bearable. They ate breakfast in silence, clearly enjoying the pancakes Ruby had made.  
When everybody was done, Throttle looked around the table.  
"Alright, people. The last few weeks has been hard for all of us. But I think you all agree with me when I say; we made it. And from now on, things can only get better. As long as we stick together, right?"  
Everybody nodded and Throttle lay his hand on the table. They all lay their hand on his.  
"Lemme tell y'all something; In this wild and wicked universe of ours, there's only three things you can count on. Your brains… Your bike… And your family…", Throttle smiled at them.  
"And don't forget to mention my studly bud and awesome skills…", Vinnie added with a smirk on his face.  
Everybody stared at him for a moment, but then burst out into laughter.  
Yep. He was back. They all were.  
And they all knew, this war was far from over. More difficult times were on the horizon. But as long as they had each other, they could survive everything.

* * *

So… pfew. Definitely a tense chapter. And this goes to show ya, it really is important to have good friends or a loving family.

Sorry, not that much about Modo and Ruby, but no worries, they will get their shot in the spotlight soon. But this needed to happen first, before they all could move on.

I would appreciate it if you could take a moment to review.  
Until next time, you mamma jammers!

Later!

PS: Right. Disclaimers. I used a few lines of "Easier to Run" from Linkin Park. They own these beautiful words, not me.


	38. Chapter 37

Guess who's back…  
Back again…  
Vlaatjee is back…  
Celebrate!

Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back… NANANA!

What's up, you guys?! Thanks for the reviews on my latest chapter. It sure was a intense chapter and indeed, Vinnie is messed up. War can do horrible things to the mind, having that much traumatic experiences in life can fuck up your head, big time. But luckily, he has enough people around him who take care of him.

So, next chapter!  
A bit more humor this time.  
Some new information about Martian Mice.  
Old school action.  
A cliffhanger.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty seven**

"So… ehm… Look, I know friendship. I know family. But the bond between you and your bro's... ", Ruby started, looking at the gray furred mouse sitting next to her on the couch.  
They just had cleaned the kitchen after breakfast. Vinnie had mumbled something about going to sleep before leaving the house, followed by Kiwi, who was still very worried about the white furred mouse. Throttle was in the garage tuning his bike, a little 'bike - rider' time after lying in bed for weeks.  
Modo looked at the red headed woman, a little confused.  
"What do ya mean?"  
Ruby shifted her weight, leaning against him.  
"Well, it's obvious your bond is very strong. I mean, that bouncing ball was clearly very upset after almost losing Throttle. So were you. I never saw you like that before… not that I know you that long, but still…"  
Modo took a little time to think about this.  
"Well, it's hard to explain... We share a connection that runs deeper than blood. It's a Martian thing, I guess…", he answered hesitantly.  
That made Ruby even more curious. She sat upright and looked at him.  
"What do you mean, a Martian thing?"  
"You know Throttle can do that mind trick thing, right?"Ruby nodded.  
"Well, all Martians are born with the capability to communicate by mind. It's a special part of our brain that's connected with our antennas. However, using it is another story. You need to train it, learn how to control it, before using it. Otherwise, it could mess up your brain, big time. It's not for everyone, though. It cost a lotta discipline and self control to be able to connect with that part of your brain, let alone using it."  
"Okay… So,Throttle is the only one who've learned it?"  
"Like I said, discipline and self control. That immediately excludes Vinnie, although he picked up a few things here and there. If I remember it right, his motivation was, quote: 'the ladies dig it.' But he soon realized it needed a little bit more commitment than that. I was never that interested in learning it. Not really my thing."  
Somehow, Ruby wasn't that surprised to hear. It just didn't fit with the gray furred mouse, although she wasn't sure why not.  
"Anyway, whether we choose to learn to develop this part of the brain or not, that doesn't change the fact all Martians carry it. We have a higher consciousness than humans, for instance. Because of that part of our brain, developed or not, we're capable of sensing emotions stronger than humans. When we care about someone, or even love someone, we somehow connect. Really, it's hard to explain…"  
But Ruby slowly shook her head.  
"No, it makes perfectly sense, actually. Well, if you told me this before I even knew about aliens and stuff, I may have laughed at you. But now I know there are big alien mice riding on bikes coming from Mars… Well, it does makes you a little less skeptical.."  
Modo chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, holding her tightly.  
"When we love someone, we do it unconditionally. It's all about connection. Me and my bro's have been through a lot together. We know each other for a very long time now and since we joined the Freedom Fighters, there hasn't been a day we weren't together, so… guess our connection runs deep. Well, let me rephrase that, I know our connection runs deep. We're more than just bro's. More than just family. Guess soulmates is getting close, but we don't call each other that. Takes away the masochism, hehe. But Vinnie was only 16 when he joined the Freedom Fighters, already experienced too much for someone at such a young age. He was a mess. Stoker had him under his wing the first time, but after that, Throttle kinda took over. Even if he's only two years older than Vinnie, he'd always been wise for his age. Vinnie never really learned to walk alone, he's used by having Throttle and me at his side. So, I guess that small moment he thought he'd lost Throttle, was enough to drive him crazy. Because he suddenly realized how much he cares about him. And that he is somehow, even if he's always acting all macho and stuff, depending on Throttle."  
Ruby nodded, understanding the white furred mouse his reaction completely now.  
"It really is interesting, this whole mind thing. I would love to do some test sometime, if that's okay with you."  
Modo shrugged.  
"Dunno if I'm the right mouse for the job. You should ask Throttle. He knows a lot more about this stuff. Besides, he's the only one who's trained."  
"Maybe I will, someday…", Ruby trailed off, deep in thoughts.

Modo took this moment to study her from the corner of his eye.  
Oh momma, she was so beautiful. Her long, shiny red hair that was braided in a fishtail braid, her beautiful and long eyelashes, her full lips, that milk coloured skin… And on top of it, her eyes. Black. Deepest black, with small white dots in it. It reminded him of the universe. Stars that were twinkling, making the black on the background even darker.  
Never had he thought he would fall in love with a human. It was weird yet interesting at the same time. They were so different from Martians, and not only the looks. And still, so much the same. He suddenly noticed she was looking back at him, biting her lower lip, her eyes twinkling in amusement.  
"I was thinking, what if I wait till you make your move for a change? Or would that mean we'll gonna be old and wrinkled when you finally do?", she asked teasingly, her voice a little husky.  
A blush appeared on his face, he could feel it.  
Oh momma.  
He wanted to make a move. But somehow, his body refused to cooperate. He was scared he was gonna hurt her. Or that she was gonna reject him, which was a crazy thought, since they were kinda together already. Vinnie was right. He'd lost his touch with the women after mourning for so long. Better not tell Vinnie that, though. He would never hear the end of it. He suddenly realized he was still staring at the woman in his arms.  
Ruby shook her head with a smile and grabbed him, pulling him on top of her and kissed him. Modo, at first a little shocked at this sudden (well, in his eye sudden) movement, but he soon kissed her back. He was leaning on one hand, to make sure she wasn't gonna be crushed under his weight and he kissed her gently. Carefully. He knew he sometimes forgot about his own strength. He didn't want to hurt her. But it somehow made this whole thing a little awkward. As if he couldn't just go with the flow, ya know... live in the moment. Ruby broke off the kiss and looked him straight in the eye.  
"Modo, hun? When are you finally gonna stop treating me as if I'm made of glass?"  
Modo blushed again, opening his mouth to search for words.  
"I… As my grey furred momma used to say; You treat a woman with respect, Modo Maverick", he eventually said.  
Ruby sighed, but a smile curled her lips.  
"Modo. The last thing a girl wants in the heat of the moment, is the guy bringing up his momma. That's kinda a mood killer. Come on, let it go…"  
Ruby grabbed him by the head and kissed him again, this time more heated. Modo closed his eyes, feeling her soft lips against his, her tongue sliding into his mouth, carefully avoiding the buckteeth. Her hands slid down on his back and she grabbed his fur, pushing him against her. He felt his cross tingle and when she also used her sharp nails, he let out a growl. He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her heatedly, his hands were flying over her body. Ruby moaned his name and…  
"Modo, do you know… Oh…'  
Throttle's voice.  
Modo jerked upright and saw his bro standing in the doorway that led to the garage. The tan furred mouse held up his hands, a smile curled his lips.  
"Whoops! See you're busy. No worries, it can wait!", and he quickly turned around and almost ran back into the garage, closing the door with a bang.  
Modo looked down at the human under him, who was shaking in laughter. He chuckled too and suddenly scooped her in his arms.  
"Let's finish this at a place with a little more privacy, darling", he mumbled against her lips, kissing her while carrying her upstairs.

A few weeks past by. Summer was back and it was hot. Hotter than usual. On the news, it appeared Chicago was struck by a heat wave and by the looks of things, this was only the beginning. Even Kiwi, who loved the summer and the sun, had a rough time dealing with it. But it was nothing compared to the suffering of the mice. At least Kiwi could walk around in her bikini all day. The mice couldn't just take off their fur. Although, Throttle suddenly found the idea of shaving off his precious hair sounding as music to his ears. Vinnie and Modo were already having a hard time, but his tan coloured fur was longer and thicker. So, the only thing he could do to cool off, was holding his head in the freezer.  
Kiwi's house did have air conditioner, but the heat was too much. The poor thing had worked his ass off, but it just couldn't win the battle. So, at some point, it just gave up and had shut down. Kiwi had tried to fix it, but the thing was totalled. She had called a mechanic, but since almost every air conditioning in Chicago had lost the same battle, the guy on the phone had told her they could only come over in four weeks. Kiwi had growled in the phone something about mice who probably wouldn't make it till the end of the week, let alone four weeks, before she hung up.  
So, things were hard for the poor Biker Mice From Mars.

Kiwi came into the livingroom, finding Modo hanging on the couch and Vinnie lying on the floor, his arms and legs spread as a sea fish, both their fur soaked in sweat. Ruby was at work, taking extra shifts since her work was air conditioned. Lucky girl.  
Throttle was probably in the kitchen, holding his head in the freezer. A giggle escaped her mouth. To be honest, she really felt sorry for them. But seeing them lying there and picturing Throttle with his head in the freezer, well…  
Vinnie opened one eye to glare at her.  
"Sweetheart… this isn't funny. Beside the fact I'm bored, I'm also dying…", he whined with that pouting high pitched voice of his.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Exaggerating was one of his many 'talents.' But she was glad he was back to his usual self. After his break down, he somehow had managed to get back on his feet real quick. So quick, Kiwi was still a little bit worried that he, again, pushed everything away. Or sometimes she started to doubt her own memory that the whole thing even happened. But since he refused to talk about, probably because he was embarrassed, she decided to give it a rest. At least the pressure was off the tank, sorta speak. She knew his problems weren't fixed, they probably never would. But at least it wasn't pulling him down anymore.  
"Oh, quit your whining. At least you don't have to keep your head in the freezer all the time. But then again, it probably wouldn't even fit, though. Your swelled head probably gets stuck", she teased him.  
"Hardee har har. Very funny", Vinnie snarled, but then sighed heavily.  
"Sweeeeetheaaaart… I'm not sure how long I'm gonna take this anymore…", stretching the first word as long as his breath allowed him.  
Modo lifted his head, looking at the white furred mouse, but then decided that action was already too much in this heat, let alone telling his younger bro to shut up.  
"Vincent! Lighten up, will ya?", they heard Throttle's muted voice coming from the kitchen, clearly annoyed.  
Vinnie closed his eyes again with another heavy sigh.  
Kiwi dropped on the couch, grabbing her laptop and continued her work on her latest project. She was updating the app she had made when the mice just arrived on Earth. You know, the one she used when she was immediate danger. But now, she wanted to upgrade it to a complete radio, so she could always reach out to them, without the sirens and stuff. They already had a radio, but she tend to forget to bring it with her when she was going out. The mice were obviously not amused by that fact, so she decided to upgrade the app. After all, her phone was something she never forget to bring with her.

Vinnie succeeded to keep his mouth shut for two whole minutes. That had to be a new record.  
"Sweetheart?"  
Kiwi sighed, looking up from her screen.  
"Now what?"  
"I'm thirsty…"  
"Yeah? So?"  
"I figured, maybe you could bring me some root beer? I can't move…"  
"You can't move?"  
"No… If I do, my brains will get fried…"  
She heard Throttle mutter from the kitchen. Modo clenched his teeth.  
"Sweetheart…"  
"What?"  
"I'm hungry…"  
"Okay, that's it!", Kiwi called out and closed her laptop with a bang. "We're going to the lake, so you guys can take a swim to cool off."  
Vinnie's eyes flew open and he jumped at his feet, sweat flying around because this sudden movement.  
"That's the best idea I heard in, I dunno, whatever!", he cheered happily.  
Kiwi glared at him.  
"Oh, so you _CAN_ move…"  
"He doesn't have any functional brain cells left, Kiwi ma'am. There's nothing left to get fried", Modo answered, slowly getting up, wiping off his forehead.  
"Hey! That is not true, I...", Vinnie protested, but suddenly, a very overheated looking Throttle stormed in. Where he normally could keep his calm, the heat made him cranky like a old man.  
"Enough! Vincent, if you don't shut up, I..."  
Despite his childish behaviour, Vinnie knew exactly when his beautiful presence wasn't wanted anymore and he quickly left the room, running around Throttle with a bow before he could even finish that sentence. Modo shook his head, following on a lower pace. Kiwi giggled and walked upstairs to grab her stuff.  
Never a dull day with these macho mice around.

"Ahhh… This is so much better…", Throttle sighed, floating on his back in the fresh water of Lake Michigan. Kiwi had bought them some swimwear a few weeks ago and it turned out to be a good idea.  
"You said it, bro…", Modo agreed, his whole body under water with only his head above water.  
" _INCOMIIIIIING!_ "  
Throttle and Modo looked up startled, but before they could process it, something crash landed in the water, making a huge wave of water flushing over them. When they came up again, spitting out water, they looked into the happy face of their white furred bro. Of course… _Something_ turned out to be Vinnie. Why were they even surprised?  
"Haha! I'm I good, or what? Did you see that jump?", he babbled, not aware of the fact his bro's shared a quick look and a mischievous grin appearing on their faces.  
"Man, I can't believe you guys missed it, it was such a good stunt", Vinnie continued, still completely clueless.  
Throttle and Modo came into action and jumped on the white furred mouse, pushing him underwater before he could continue his bragging. It resulted in a very macho Martian mice wrestling session in the water.  
Kiwi, who was lying on her towel, smiled. It was good to see them like this. As if they didn't had a single care in the world. She decided she could use a cool down too, so she walked into the water on a safe distance from the mice, who were still playing around like young dogs. When her feet almost couldn't touch the ground anymore, she dove into the cool water, enjoying the fresh feeling it gave her.

After a while, the mice had calmed down again and Kiwi joined them. She climbed on Vinnie's back, wrapping her arms around his strong neck and her legs around his waist, holding him tightly. He wanted to wrap his tail around her waist, but when he made contact with her skin, she let out a deadly scream, thinking it was something in the water that was suddenly touching her.  
" _AUTSJ!_ Ah man, sweetheart… how many times do I need to tell you, sensitive hearing, remember?", he moaned, rubbing in one ear with his little finger.  
"Whoops, sorry love! You just scared me, that's all", she answered a little embarrassed. "Thought it was something scary with teeth, or worse, a fish."  
"Autsj, harsh babe! A fish, come on…", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
Modo shook his head with a smile and looked at Throttle, who was, by the looks of things, deep in thoughts.  
"Yo, bro. You still with us?", he asked nonchalant, but knowing his bro could only think of one thing that could give him that almost goofy look on his face.  
Carbine  
Vinnie glanced at Throttle too, who was so much more relaxed since he was able to talk to Carbine. He never really thought about it, most of the time he just forgot his older bro had a girl back on Mars. Maybe because he didn't liked Carbine. Or maybe because they broke up. Or maybe because he just wasn't that kinda interested in his bro's love life as they were in his. But they were back together now and Vinnie could only imagine how hard it must be to be this far apart from each other. I mean, they literally lived on different planets. Talk about your major long distance relationship. To the max. But no matter how hard and sad it may be, that didn't stop Vinnie from teasing his bro.  
"Oeh, his a goner, bro", he smiled at Modo, and then looked back at his tan furred friend. "Man, you should call her when we get home. You look like you need it. Ya know, to share bedtime stories, stare each other deeply in the eyes for hours, kissing the camera pretending it to be her…"  
He just said it mindless, never would he thought he may be right.  
But Throttle suddenly stiffened and started blushing, his eyebrows raised so they were visible above his glasses.  
"Oh, you eh… you saw that? Hehe… I eh…", he stuttered.  
Vinnie froze and stared at him for a moment.  
No way…  
His eyes grew big in surprise at first, but then he realized he just found a goldmine. A big grin appeared on his face.  
"Wow, wow, wow! Let's just stop for a moment, right here, right now and lemme get this straight, sweetheart. Are you trying to tell me you actually _DID_ kiss the camera pretending it to be her?", he asked, his voice high of, for now, still restrained hilarity.  
Throttle's blush became even redder. Oh man… He just got himself into trouble. BIG trouble. He should've known Vinnie was only joking. And if he hadn't been that deep in thoughts, he maybe could've stopped his first and primair reaction. But it was too late. He opened his mouth, but Vinnie had already seen the look on his face.  
Yep. Definitely too late.  
"HAHA! I can't believe this!" and Vinnie burst out into laughter.  
Kiwi tried to keep her face in check, but it was hard with the loud and contagious laughing of the white furred mouse in her arms. She pressed her lips in a hard line, but her lower lip started to tremble and she too burst out laughing.  
Modo didn't know to feel compassion for his bro and to stick up for him or to laugh too. The tan furred mouse, that was always so steady, was obviously very embarrassed by now.  
Vinnie pretended to have a camera in his one hand, caressing it with his other hand.  
"Oh Carbine, I miss you so much… Come here, lemme kiss ya…" and he made some dirty smacking sounds, moaning at the same time, his eyes closed.  
Throttle raised his hands in a attempt to stop his younger, and childish, bro.  
"Oh man, come on, it wasn't like that, it…" but Vinnie didn't listen.  
Dammit. He was never gonna hear the end of it. Never.  
Compassion for his bro won the inner battle and Modo smacked Vinnie against the back of his head with his tail.  
"Okay, that's enough. Or do I need to remind you about that one time on Mars, with…", but Vinnie's eyes grew big and he quickly wrapped his tail around Modo's muzzle.  
"No! You wouldn't dare!", he squeaked.  
Kiwi calmed down enough to look at Modo, who was peeling off Vinnie's tail.  
"What?", she asked curious.  
Modo freed himself and a mischievous smile curled his lips, looking at his younger bro, who looked back pleading and threatening at the same time.  
"Come on, tell me!", Kiwi insisted, looking at Modo and Throttle. Modo opened his mouth...  
" _OKAY, OKAY!_ I promise I'll behave! But don't tell her!", Vinnie pleaded  
Modo closed his mouth again, nodding satisfied.  
"Alright."  
Kiwi wasn't planning on letting this go that easily, but Throttle smoothly cut her off.  
"Ahum, anyway… The thing I actually was thinking about, is that Carbine and I had a interesting talk the first time…"  
"I think I have a pretty good idea what you mean with _interesting_...", Vinnie muttered under his breath, chuckling.  
Throttle sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose.  
Modo looked at Vinnie, who immediately held up his hands in his defense.  
"Okay, okay, sorry! Force of habit, I just can't help it!"  
Modo and Throttle shared a look, and Throttle decided to continue his story.  
"Anyway, we found out about this connection…" and he told them what happened when he had died in that forest and about Carbine's dream.  
"She remembered too, it wasn't just a dream. It was real. It's really interesting, don't ya think? I mean, we know we connect, right? But I never heard of anything like this before…"  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"Funny you mention this, Ruby was also very interested in how our minds work, ya know, with the whole connection and training your brain to be a Mindwalker. She wanted to run some tests, in the future", Modo told Throttle.  
"Mindwalker?", Kiwi asked.  
Vinnie was already bored again.  
"You call this interesting? Ugh…", he snorted at Throttle, before he answered Kiwi's question, who was still on his back.  
"Yeah, the whole mind trick stuff Throttle can, ya know? Major boring, if you ask me… "  
"Huh? But what about the thing you did to me? That was far from boring. You know, that night after Rimfire was taken by the stalkers…" but Kiwi suddenly trailed off, a blush on her cheeks. This was not something you wanted to discuss in front of two mice who you considered to be brothers.  
Modo snickered.  
"So you _do_ use it for the ladies, huh?"  
Vinnie also blushed.  
"I eh.. Yeah, well… I just… You know... ", he stuttered, not really sure what to say to make this a little less embarrassing.  
Throttle chuckled when he saw the blank face of Kiwi, obviously at loss here.  
"We don't just use our telepathic ability without training. On Mars, there was a special group mice called the Mindwalkers. They teached students who wanted to learn how to control it. But it's not easy. Only a few from each group students made it to pass the final tests to be a real Mindwalker."  
"So, you're a Mindwalker?", Kiwi asked.  
"No, I never got the change to finish the training because of the Plutarkian invasion. But I was close. So, I know how to use it without doing any damage. There are so many things that can go wrong."  
"You followed the same training?", Kiwi now asked Vinnie.  
"What? No way. Way too boring. I followed a few lessons, but soon decided me and my skills for speed were needed elsewhere."  
"You mean you just lacked discipline, self control and the ability to sit still for more than just three minutes while keeping your big mouth shut", Modo pointed out.  
"Hey! If you put it like that it suddenly sounds so… not cool…", Vinnie protested. "I can't help it this perfect body needs movement. Besides, sitting on your ass for hours, with your eyes and mouth closed to make contact with your _inner self_ is just lame! "  
"Oh puhlease... ", Throttle sighed. "Now you make it sound as if we were some kinda cult or something."  
"You weren't?", Vinnie asked shocked.  
"Stop talking", Throttle said dryly.  
The white furred mouse raised his hands in defence.  
"Okay, geez… must have hit a nerve", he muttered under his breath, but Kiwi closed his mouth before he could say anything further.  
"I think it sounds really interesting and I'd love to learn more about it", she said to Throttle, ignoring Vinnie muted sounds while still holding his mouth closed.  
"Sure thing. But first, let's go home for lunch. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole Saber Squad", the tan furred mouse said while walking outta the water. Modo followed him, mumbling something about eating even two Saber Squads.  
Kiwi climbed off Vinnie's back, letting go of his snout.  
"So, what was that whole thing about what Modo wanted to tell?", she asked nonchalant, but curious.  
She had never seen anyone run outta the water so quickly.  
She giggled, while shaking her head. Honestly, had this mouse no clue at all that this kinda behaviour only made her even more determined to find out what this whole thing was about? Because one thing's for sure. She was gonna find out. One way or another.

When they drove back home, Kiwi was looking at Modo with a big grin on her face. He was staring at the road, a goofy smile on his face. She was pretty sure that smile was there because he was thinking about a certain red headed woman. She knew Ruby had promised them to come home for lunch. She was working a lot lately, so to make sure she could spend some time with them, she used her breaks to see them. Kiwi carefully grabbed her phone out of her pocket. She needed to film this. Ruby had to see this. This was too cute.  
Vinnie was already complaining about the heat again. The sun was burning ruthless, drying his wet fur way too quickly.  
"Ah man, damn you, stupid sun! You're taking away the one thing to keep me cool…"  
He suddenly realized what he was saying.  
"Of course, no matter how hot it is, this mouse never runs outta gas…", he quickly added, winking at Kiwi over his shoulder.  
"Ah, lighten up, Vin. You're always complaining about how long it takes to get dry. Just be happy that for once, you get what you want", Kiwi retorted, pushing on 'record' on her phone.  
"What are ya doing, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, seeing the phone in her hands.  
She simply pointed at Modo and the white furred mouse chuckled.  
Ah man. The poor guy had it good, alright.  
"Why are you filming him instead of me? I mean…", but before he could finish that sentence, Throttle whistled between his teeth and hit the brakes.  
"Wow, bro's, look at that! Looks like Limburger finally reached the lowest of the lowest… He's attacking a school!"  
That snapped Modo outta his daydreaming and when he saw the big machine, the one that Limburger always used for digging, was indeed attacking a school while the kids were still playing outside, his eye started to glow red. He stopped next to Throttle.  
"Now just wait a minute. No one endangers kids while we're around!"  
"That's right, big fella. Hero time", Vinnie cheered, the heat completely forgotten all of a sudden. When his bike came to a halt next to Modo, he lifted Kiwi with his tail and set her on her feet.  
"Go save those kids, guys!", Kiwi yelled over the noise of revving engines.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"  
Kiwi watched them go, realizing she was still holding her phone in her hand. It was still recording.  
Hmmm…  
"Good thing you guys changed back into your normal attires", she giggled, while raising her phone. "I mean, whip tail on film in your swimming trunks is after all… so not cool."

The mice sped towards the school, and Modo's eye grew big when he saw one of the claws of the pimped excavator was about to hurt a kid.  
"Come on, Lil Hoss! We gotta save those kids", and his bike sped forward.  
Right before the the claw closed, Modo pushed the kid aside, raising his armcannon at the same time. But his arm got stuck between the jaws of the claw and lifted him in the air, with bike and all.  
He screamed in anger when the thing was shaking him around like a puppet, but suddenly, he was free and he crashed against a wall, slid down and landed hard on the floor. His bike was lying under him. The big machine came closer, with its four claws open to mush him.  
"Oh momma… Seems like your son is about to get sundered..."  
He tried to climb on his bike, but his feet was stuck under it and he just hadn't enough time.  
Throttle and Vinnie, who had grabbed the kids and brought them into safety, saw it happen.  
"Modo, move it, big fella!", Throttle yelled.  
"Haul tail, bro!", Vinnie added.

Kiwi had hide herself in the bushes, closeby Limburger and Karbunkle, who was controlling the machine with a remote. She was still filming and she zoomed in at the two villains.  
"What a unexpectedly entrancing occurrence", Limburger smiled, looking at the machine that was about to grab Modo. "Obliterate that dare devil mouse and the entire school!"  
Kiwi clenched her teeth. God, how she hated him. But there was nothing she could do right now, except keep filming. She just hoped Modo was gonna make it out this mess, rather sooner than later.

Modo shot at the machine with his arm, but it was no good. The machine grabbed his arm again and he let out a scream in frustration.  
Throttle and Vinnie came into action, knowing their bro wasn't gonna get out of this situation without their help. They drove towards him and the machine, firing their laser.  
"Hang tight, bro!" and Throttle fired with his gun at the claw that was still holding Modo's arm.  
But suddenly… A loud roar split the air, and Throttle stopped for a moment. He looked in the distance in the direction of the sound and saw a big cloud of dust coming closer.  
"What the…", he heard Vinnie next to him when a huge monster truck entered the schoolground, crashing through the fence. Then, he rammed the excavator and by that, he freed Modo.  
But the truck wasn't ready to leave yet. He drove backwards, stopped and the engine roared. It sped forward, as far a truck as big as that can get to speed in such a short moment of time, and crashed against Limburger's machine again.  
The mice were staring at this, at the truck that repeated the trick over and over. Their sensitive hearing picked up a heavy rumbling voice coming outta the car.  
" _Nobody gets hurt in my hood"  
_ The car suddenly drove past the mice and Vinnie laughed.  
"AAAOOOW! Looks like there's another good guy on the block!"  
"Let's ride!", Throttle ordered.  
Modo was back on his bike and he revved the engine.  
"Alright!", and cannons popped out. "Come on, little darling… it's payback time!"

Limburger hit Karbunkle on the head with his walking stick and Karbunkle groaned in pain, looking at his boss while rubbing over his head.  
"Get rid of that truck and proceed with the destruction of the school!", the big fish ordered and Karbunkle focussed on controlling the machine again.  
Kiwi smiled. She got it all on film.  
"Once I get this tape to the police, that stupid fish is gonna get his scales cooked… in jail."

The mice fired their laser at the machine, and one of the claws just exploded, not up against such heavy firepower. The truck was still helping them, mainly by just crashing into the thing, over and over again.  
The mice grabbed a grenade and drove under the machine, attaching them to three of its four paws.  
The explosion was huge and the machine was immediately out of order. Obviously.

A sirene announced the presence of the police and two officers stepped outta the car to talk to Limburger, who was standing close by the school.  
Kiwi zoomed in a little further, pricking her ears.  
"Alright, mister. Exactly what happened here?", one of the officers asked at Limburger.  
"That machine of yours almost hurt some kids. So, somebody is going to jail…", the other one said, clearly determined to make someone pay for this.  
I mean, come on. Don't endanger kids. Never. That was crossing a unwritten line.  
Limburger swallowed, looking at the officers who looked back angrily.  
"Oooohh… Now, now… Really, m-my good officer… It's quite simple. You see…", but the first officer interrupted him.  
"Just the facts", and he grabbed his notebook.  
"It was that ruffian there", Limburger blurted out, pointing at the guy in the monster truck. "He attacked my legally licensed excavation machine with his truck, and eh…", Limburger trailed off for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. Then, his face lit up again. ".. _.FORCED_ it into the school yard. Yes! That it! As you certainly can observe, he destroyed that publicly owned shed as well…"

Suddenly, the mice saw the truck driving away.  
"What the… Why is he skying?", Vinnie asked, stopping his bike.  
"Man's a hero, saved my tail", Modo said, also loss at why the guy suddenly fled.  
"Yeah, smells like a rancid cheese frame up to me, bro's…", Throttle said, rubbing his chin.  
"Well, let sniff out some answers, then…", Vinnie smiled.  
"Yeahhh… Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

Kiwi was about to run over to them, to tell them what had happened, but they were already gone.  
"God, they just left me. AGAIN! _Aarrrggh_ , those mice! And I got the prove for what really happened here. Pfuh, excuse me for trying to solve a problem with brains, for a change… Ugh."  
But the police officers were already back in their car and started the pursuit.  
Great. Just great. She needed to get outta here, before Limburger was gonna see her.

The mice were following the big truck, who was surprisingly fast. They approached a crossroad and the truck took the left, followed by the mice. The police car took the right. Throttle gained speed and drove up next to the truck. He looked inside, seeing a huge, dark skinned male sitting behind the wheel. He had short black hair and the guy looked like he didn't skip the gym that often.  
"Uh… Hey there, citizen! What's your hurry?", he asked, opening his visor.  
Vinnie joined him.  
"Yeah, sweetheart, you're a hero! You should go back and basking the glory. Heck, I sure would", the white furred mouse exclaimed.  
The guy looked at them, a determined, but friendly look on his face.  
"Can't risk it, gents. No way. Won't face a jail cell. Small places drive me crazy!", he hissed, suddenly a little panicked look on his face. But that soon changed back into friendly. "That's why I drive such a big truck."  
"Then we'll take care of it, buddy", Throttle suggested.  
"Yeah, we'll tell 'em what really happened", Modo added, joining his bro's in the conversation.  
"Yeah! You won't have a thing to worry…", Vinnie started, but a laser landing close by his bike cut him off.  
"What in thunderation...?", the big guy in the truck called out in surprise, pointing at a buggy that was driving towards them, shooting laser.  
"Looks like old slimebugger wants to keep you outta sight, bro", Throttle explained.  
"...permanently", Vinnie added with a low voice.  
"What are we gonna do?", the guy asked.  
"With Limburgers goons, there's only one thing you can do…", Modo smiled.  
" _WHIP SOME TAIL_!", the mice yelled in unison, popping a wheelie before flying off into battle.  
Cannons popped outta their bikes and they opened fire. The first buggies already exploded and the rest of them turned around, followed by the mice.  
Vinnie drove up next to a goon, pulling the pin outta the grenade in his hand with his teeth. He casually dropped it in the buggie.  
"Put one in…"  
Modo grabbed the goon and hauled him out of the buggie.  
"...pull one out!"  
The buggy exploded and Vinnie continued his warpath.  
Modo, still having the goon in his metal hand, drove up a building and dropped the goon on a streetlight, making the poor guy whirl around it like a gymnast.  
Meanwhile, Throttle was behind them, activating his knuck knocks and punched a goon in the face. The guy flew outta his vehicle and landed on top of the one that was already hanging in the streetlight.

The bro's regrouped, looking at the big monster truck that was simply driving over the buggies as if they were speed bumps, leaving a trail of crushed vehicles.  
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.  
"Hahaha! _ALRIGHT_! Ride free, citizen!", he cheered.  
"Hehehe. I gotta admit, man… There may be a few things our bikes can't do", Throttle chuckled.  
Modo nodded.  
"Yeah, sure. Seats four, flatten cars, carrying groceries home...", the big guy summed up, casually counting on the fingers of his metal hand.  
They stopped next to the truck.  
"Hey, thanks a lot, gents!", the big male called out, leaning with one arm outta his open window, looking down at the mice.  
"Hey hey, call us bro's!", Modo rumbled back while fist bumping with the guy.  
"Yeah, bro's!", Vinnie smiled, opening his visor. "Once you whip tail together, you oughta be little less formal", and his tail lashed through the air to strengthen his words.  
"Whassup? I'm Throttle", as the tan furred mouse pointed at himself. "...this is Modo", and he pointed at the gray furred mouse. "...and uh… hehe. The one with the swelled head there…"  
"That's the invincible Vinnie van Wham to you", Vinnie cheered while popping a wheelie. "The velocity atrocity! An honour, I'm sure…" and he winked at the male, crossing his arms before his chest, a very arrogant grin on his face. "And you are?"  
The male laughed.  
"They call me Four By." He suddenly grew serious again. "Say… bro's… You're not from around here, now are ya?"  
"Can you define here?", Vinnie asked, a little sheepishly.  
"Well uhm… Earth."  
"Hey, the man's smart too", Modo smiled.  
"Good call", Throttle nodded.  
Even if he didn't liked the fact another human was aware of their presence, the guy did save Modo's tail. And the look on Four By's face told him he was one to be trusted.  
"The Biker Mice From Mars. We're here to save the world!", Vinnie smiled.  
Throttle tried to hide his smile. His younger bro never backed down a opportunity to brag. Especially when they met someone new.  
"Mars, 'ey? Well, a friend is a friend, no matter where he hails from!", Four By smiled, holding up his thumb. The sound of sirens suddenly filled the air.  
"Glad to know ya. But, there's a welcome Mo and I just don't want to meet…", he said, looking at the police cars that were coming closer.  
He looked one more time at the bro's.  
"Increase the peace, bro's!" and he hold up two fingers. "I'm outta here!"  
He turned the big truck around and drove the other way.  
Modo looked over his shoulder.  
"No, man, that's a dead end!", he yelled. "Leads to the pits!"  
"I gotta feeling he knows that, big fella", Throttle said, following the police cars with his eyes.  
Four By gained speed, driving straight towards the same crater Modo and Throttle once fell in. The police followed him and almost catched up with him, but he just crashed through the 'Dead End' signs and the car disappeared from sight, straight into the pits.

A few moments later, the mice were standing on top of a building closeby the pits. Throttle was using a binoculars to look at the activity around the crater. It was crawling with police and reporters. But then… A purple limousine stopped closeby. Limburger hang out his window, looking very satisfied.  
"Well, there's that bottomfeeder come to take in the show", the tan furred mouse said, looking at his bro's.  
"Man, that was quite a jump", Modo said, scratching the back of his his neck while looking down.  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, a cocky grin on his face.  
"Yeah… Not bad, not bad. Of course, I had far more spectacular ones", and he leaned with his elbow on his bike, his head resting in his head while studying his nails.  
"Oh yeah? Well, than his head must be as hard as yours, Vincent, because he's okay", Throttle chuckled, looking in the crater with his binoculars. He saw Four By standing next to the truck, who didn't had that much luck. "But his truck is totalled city. And now, he needs to watch out for the Pitboss."  
"Hehe. Or the Pitboss need to watch out of for him", Modo chuckled.  
"Well, either way, it sounds like we're missing out a whole lotta action! Come on!", and Vinnie punched his fist into his other hand.  
But Throttle raised his hand to stop his, as usual, way too eager bro.  
"Well, if anyone can handle their own, it's our new bro there. So, we'll just let to have the man all his fun" and he looked at his bro's. "Let's rock and ride!"  
And they jumped off the building at the back, making sure the police wasn't gonna see them. Somehow, they had the feeling the officers were not gonna be impressed and with already enough weird complains about mice on motorcycles… Well, it was for the best if they just head back home.  
Throttle could already feel the heat taking the worst outta him again. The fight had distract him. But now… He hit the accelerator. He had a date with a freezer.

Kiwi jumped outta the taxi when it stopped closeby the pits. She was actually on her way home, angry muttering to herself because the mice had just left her, when she'd heard on the radio something about a big truck that was on the run for the police and had crashed into the giant crater. She had asked the taxichauffeur to bring her there, because she knew the mice would be there too. But again, bad luck. She just saw them turning their bikes on the roof of a building.  
"Guys, wait up!", she yelled, running towards the building. But they were already gone. Kiwi, who was already cranky because of the heat and the fact the mice somehow seemed to be forgotten about her, clenched her teeth.  
" _ARGH!_ For their sakes, I hope I won't catch up with them…I'll ty their tail in a knot..."  
Since they left the house for only a swim, she hadn't brought her radio with her. And because she was working on her communication app and therefore outta order, she couldn't reach them.  
She turned around, looking at the police. She needed to tell them what really happened. Without telling them about the mice, of course.  
She started to walk towards them, holding up her phone.  
"Excuse me? Hello? I got a video proving Lawrence Limburger was behind the whole thing!", she yelled, walking towards the police.  
But they ignored her.  
Pardon et moi? What happened to the ' _We're here to serve the people_ ' thing anyway?  
"Hellooooooo?" but suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her and turned her around. She looked straight into the face of Karbunkle.  
Oh shit…  
She hadn't seen him. Nor she did Limburger. If she knew he was here too, she would never had screamed this loud about the video.  
Gosh, Kiwi. You can be so stupid sometimes.  
Limburger popped up next to her.  
"Aahhh… I'll just take your phone, if you don't mind", he smiled and his hand reached out for her phone. But Kiwi wasn't ready to give up yet. She clamped the phone in her hands, while Karbunkle also tried to grab it. They struggled for a moment.  
"No, lemme go!", Kiwi growled between clenched teeth. A  
nd suddenly, they did. She stumbled back, but suddenly, the floor was just gone. She looked over her shoulder, right into the deep crater.  
No…  
She lost balance and fell down, letting out a deadly scream.  
The last thing she heard was Karbunkle saying "Oops…"

Oh my god. This was not happening. She was falling down, into the pits, and the mice weren't even close.  
How was she gonna survive this? She needed to stop this freefall into a controlled landing. Sure, Kiwi. Great idea. But… _HOW EXACTLY_?  
Her stomach was turning because of the long fall and the ground was getting closer. Shit, shit…  
" _SHIT!_ ", she screamed.  
But all of a sudden, she saw a big branch sticking outta the wall of the crater. How she spotted it was a mystery to her, but she did. She quickly turned around and stretched out her arms. The phone flew outta her hands, but that was the last thing she was worried about right now. She clenched her teeth, ready for impact and when she reached it, her fingers clamped around the branch. For a moment, it looked like this was gonna work. But her hands couldn't hold her weight because of the impact of the catch. Her fingers slipped, suddenly there was only air in her hands, she stretched out to the branch, already falling again…  
"No…"  
Her body hit the floor. A pain jolted through her spine when her back hit the ground first. After that, her head followed. For a moment, she only saw stars.  
"Fuck me…", she breathed.  
But she was so lucky. Even if she hadn't succeeded in holding on to the branch, at least it had slowed down her fall. Enough to make her land without breaking every bone in her body or worse, her head exploding like a watermelon. She lay on the floor for a moment, a bit dazed.  
Then, she suddenly realized where she was. Fuck. The pits. The home of the most worst criminals in Chicago. Moaning in pain, she got upright, looking around her.  
So far, so good.  
She suddenly saw her phone lying closeby her. It was totalled. But that didn't matter. She was a hacker after all. For her, it was no problem to get the footage back that was on it. She crawled to the phone and put it in her pocket. Then, she slowly rose to her feet.  
Now what?  
She turned around and let out a scream again. Jesus.  
"Well, well, well…", the guy in front of her smiled mean.  
Kiwi looked at him. This must be the Pitboss the mice had told her about.  
Oh boy…  
She saw he was not alone. And the looks on the faces of the men that were around her so sudden, didn't gave away any friendliness.  
"What have we here?", and the Pitboss looked at her appreciatively. "Looks like we're getting a better class of garbage thrown into the pits these days…"  
Kiwi scrambled back a few steps.  
"Hehe… surprise?", she squeaked.  
Suddenly, one of the other men stepped forward.  
"Hey… I know her. She was the one who was hanging around those Biker Mice that day we tried to rob the Meatpackers Bank!"  
Kiwi felt her heart skipped a beat. Oh shit.  
"Well… What do ya know… I've been wanting to meet up with those rodents again. Real bad…" and he grabbed Kiwi by the shoulders. She struggled to get loose, but it was no use.  
The Pitboss looked her in the eye, licking his lips before smiling evilly at her, showing her his rotten teeth.  
Then, he looked over his shoulder.  
"Boys. Check out that truck that crashed down over there, while I send these buck tooth bikers a little message. And maybe… just maybe… I'll have a little fun with this lady while we're waiting for them to arrive… Muawahahahaaa!"

* * *

Oh, oh, Kiwi… You just don't know how to stay outta trouble, now do ya?  
Let's just hope the mice are gonna be in time to save her, before some nasty things will happen to her.

My dear readers, puhlease review and till next time!

Later dudes!


	39. Chapter 38

Thanks for the reviews!

Yeah, Kiwi does need to learn how to stay outta trouble. I mean, the mice are trying to keep her out of it, but the girl is stubborn, right?  
She isn't Charley, but she isn't completely helpless. There's a fire burning in that girl, but she still needs to find out how to use it.

So, on to the next chapter. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty eight**

The mice were driving back home, when Vinnie suddenly hit the brakes. He came to an halt with shrieking tires, startling his bro's. They stopped next to him, looking at him questionably.  
"Bro's, aren't you guys missing something?", Vinnie asked, worry on his face.  
"'Vin, what…", Throttle started, but then it dawned on him.  
"Oh. Kiwi…"  
Vinnie nodded. The whole ride home, he had this feeling there was something missing. But he soon realized what it was. Warm arms wrapped about his waist. A helmeted head leaning against his back. A lovely scent, flowers mixed with a hint of apple. Because of the adrenaline and meeting this new guy, he just forgot about her.  
Ah man…  
He really was just like his mother. That woman had forgotten about him more times than he could remember. While doing groceries, when he was at school, when he was playing in the yard and she just locked the door because she thought he was already inside… He shook his head with a smile because of these memories. She never did it on purpose, though. She could be so easily distracted sometimes. Hmmm.. Wonder why that sounds so familiar?  
"Oh momma, she is gonna be so pissed…", Modo sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. How could they just leave her behind?  
"Yeah well… Can't say I blame her…", Throttle moaned.  
"We gotta go look for her, man. What if she's in trouble?" and Vinnie revved his bike.  
But Throttle grabbed his tail, making Vinnie yelp in pain.  
"Hold it, macho mouse. We have no idea where she is. Besides, she knows how to contact us when she's in trouble. And since we haven't heard from her yet... Let's just assume she's okay, for now."  
Vinnie opened his mouth to protest, but the words didn't came. He closed his mouth, his teeth clapping together. He knew that sometimes, he was way too overprotective. Throttle was right. There was no sign that Kiwi was indeed in trouble.  
"Let's go home, bro's. Maybe she already back", Modo suggested and they continued their way home.

A quick check learned them Kiwi wasn't home. Throttle walked straight into the kitchen, pulled open the freezer and lay his head inside with a satisfied sigh.  
"I'm sure Kiwi is fine, Vinnie", he tried to reassure his white furred bro, who was sitting on a chair, tabbing his fingers on the table in impatience.  
Modo, who took place next to him, gave him a cold rootbeer.  
"Yeah, she knows how to find us. Chill, it's way too hot to get riled up."  
The gray furred mouse was right. Vinnie felt sweat streaming down his back, making his skin itchy as hell. He had this annoying feeling as if his body was on fire. Another sweat drop slowly made its way down and landed in his eye, the salt in it making his eye twitch. He slammed his fist on the table.  
"That's it. Enough is just enough. This is not how I'm gonna live my life the next few weeks. I mean, look at me! Looking like a drowned little kitten all day is so not good for my macho mouse image", and he marched to the garage, determined to get the airco back to work.  
Oh boy…

He tried everything. But it was no use. The thing was totalled. Vinnie switched another cable and pushed the button again. But again, nothing happened.  
The white furred mouse his frustration level had slowly reached it's breaking point, I mean, he wasn't really known for having much patience.  
" _GOD DAMMIT, YOU STUPID THING, JUST WORK ALREADY_!" and he clenched his fist and punched the machine, leaving a dent in the front.  
"You have _ONE_ job, _ONE JOB, FOR FUCK SAKE!_ How hard can it be?!"  
He raised his foot, but before he could continue his fight with this stubborn machine, a pair of hands grabbed him.  
"Wow, wow, wow, easy Vincent. It's way too hot for this. Besides, I don't think Kiwi is gonna like it if you smash that thing to the seventh galaxy…", Throttle said softly in Vinnie's ear, a withheld chuckle hearable in his voice.  
Only Vinnie could start a fight with a airco.  
Vinnie whirled around, grabbing Throttle by the shoulders, ready to start a rant about how he was supposed to function, living in this killing heat, when the machine suddenly made a few ticking noises. Both mice slowly turned their head, looking at the airco as if it suddenly started talking. Another tick, and after that, a buzzing sound. Cool air slowly filled the garage. Vinnie and Throttle looked back at each other, Vinnie still holding Throttle. A arrogant smile curled his lips, but before he could say something, Throttle pulled him in a hug.  
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you…", he mumbled.  
Vinnie, at first a little surprised, clapped his bro on the back.  
"No problem, bro. Do I have a delicate touch with machines, or what?", he smiled, obviously very pleased with himself.  
But for once, Throttle didn't care about his younger bro's ego. The guy had saved him from overheating and spending his days with his head in the freezer. That was worth the bragging, alright. Obviously.

"Okay, okay...I gotta tell ya… I'm worried now. I mean, it's just not like Kiwi to be away this long without contacting us…", Throttle said, while looking at the clock. They were in the, now filled with cool air, garage, working on their bikes.  
"Five hours away from me? Must be like a day without sunshine", Vinnie agreed, making a joke out of it to push away that nagging feeling something was wrong.  
"Yeah… well, I wish she would at least send a message", Modo said.  
They suddenly heard a loud explosion in the distance and they run to the window to look outside. A missile was making its way towards them.  
"Uh oh, bro's… find cover!", Throttle yelled and he and Modo dove behind their bikes.  
Vinnie, on the other hand, didn't. He somehow missed the urge to get himself into safety. That probably had something to do with his lack of self preservation.  
Luckily for him, the rocket wasn't really a rocket. It looked like one, though, when it crashed through the window and landed on the table. But instead of exploding, a note came out of the back.  
"What is it, a special bomb?", he heard Modo asking. Vinnie grabbed the note.  
"More like special delivery."  
He looked at the note.  
"Hey! It's from the Pitboss!"  
Throttle and Modo joined him.  
"No kidding… what does he want?", Throttle asked, putting away his gun that he'd grabbed in the process.  
Vinnie's tail suddenly started to twitch.  
"He's got Kiwi!"  
" _What!?_ Now that low down…", Throttle started to growl.  
"...slave driving _SCUM_!", Modo finished, his eye glowing red.  
Vinnie held up his hand.  
"He says he want us to meet him. Tomorrow, on foot and unarmed. Or we'll never see her again…", the white furred mouse read out loud with his voice low, his fur bristled. Was this guy even serious?  
" _Tomorrow_? Sorry, can't wait…", Throttle shook his head.  
" _On foot_? Nope, not our style…", Modo added.  
" _Unarmed_? HAHAHA! What's this guy, a comedian?", Vinnie laughed, for a moment too stunned because of the stupidity of this guy.  
"Well, zip outta three ain't bad", Throttle pointed out while mounting his bike. "Let's go get our lady back, shall we?"  
"Let's ride!", his bro's answered in unison.

"Well, now, let's see…", the Pitboss smiled, licking his lips. They were standing in some sort of courtyard inside the castle that this evil man called his home. There was a throne, made out of stone, standing on a platform. After being dragged up the few stairs, Kiwi was now standing next to the throne, shivering like a scared child.  
She couldn't look at him, the guy was scary alright. His blue eyes, filled with hate and cruelness. His blond hair, that looked like it didn't had a decent shower in years, and therefore was one, greasy, smelly dreadlock. His evil smile, with rotten teeth. His breath, that almost smelled like death. He was trained well, his body was strong and muscular. But not like _sexy_ muscular. No, more like a bodybuilder that didn't want to admit he was getting too old for this shit.  
"You really are a pretty little thing, aren't you?", he whispered, looking at her from head to toe. Kiwi stared at her feet, fiddling with her fingers. Suddenly, she felt his hand grabbing her chin and he forced her to look at him.  
"Look at me when I'm talking to you", he spit out, his blue eyes fuming.  
Kiwi looked at him, tears in her eyes. She grabbed his wrist from the hand that was still holding her chin in a iron grip.  
"You're hurting me…"  
He looked at her, almost surprised, and started laughing. He let her go, holding his belly in pure joy. But as soon as he started, he also stopped. He grabbed her again, this time with even more force.  
"I don't think you understand, my little dove. I _LIKE_ hurting people."  
Kiwi suddenly felt something changing inside of her. The fear got replaced by anger. She grabbed his wrist again and this time, she used her nails.  
"I don't think _YOU_ understand, asshole. If the mice are gonna find out that you hurt me, oh boy… you better run and hide. Because no one's allowed to mess with their family."  
Kiwi wasn't sure either she imagined it or that it was really there, but she thought she saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes. She smiled.  
"It's okay to be afraid. You should be afraid", she said with a cold voice..  
" _Enough_. You think you can stand here, in my own castle, and depreciate me? You have no idea who I am, lady. Take off your clothes. Now."  
Wait, what? That escalated quickly.  
Kiwi's eyes grew big. She let go off his wrist and he squeezed in her chin.  
"Now. Or I'll do it for you."

The ice cold tone in his voice was the reason she obeyed. I mean, the tone in that voice clearly gave away that disobeying was no option. The anger, that had flamed up for a moment, was gone and the fear was back. What was he gonna do with her?  
She slowly took off her shirt. She was still wearing her bikini. Did they really went for a swim just this morning? It already felt like ages ago. When her shirt was out, she pulled down her shorts. She shivered, it was cold down here. The heat that was afflicting Chicago, nowhere to be found down here. She looked up at the Pitboss, who licked his lips and looking at her with lust in his eyes.  
Oh god…  
"Continue."  
"Please… Don't make me do this…", she whispered.  
He raised his arm and hit her with the back of his hand. Kiwi's head jerked to the side, because of the force she felt something snap in her neck. Jesus, was this guy the Hulk or something? He just slapped her as if he was waving away a fly and she almost broke her neck.  
"Do it."  
Kiwi untied the knot of her bikini top with shaking hands, trying to force herself to be at another place. Well, mentally of course. Physically, she was stuck here.  
 _Vinnie, where are you?_

When she was completely naked, the Pitboss came closer. Kiwi scrambled back, but he grabbed her by the arm and before she even could process it, her hands were chained together. He held the chain, making sure she couldn't go anywhere and his face stopped next to her ear. He closed his eyes and sniffed up her scent. Kiwi squeezed her eyes, her breathing shallow.  
This wasn't happening.  
This wasn't happening.  
God, it was happening.  
Why?  
"On your knees", he ordered and she did what her was told. He strapped a leather belt around her neck, that was attached at a chain on the wall. Jesus, what was wrong with this guy? He obviously had some really disturbing interests.  
Suddenly, one of his men walked in. Kiwi tried to make him look at her, maybe he would help her, but he completely ignored her. This probably wasn't the first time a girl was sitting here, like a dog on a chain.  
The Pitboss was busy talking with the guy, giving him orders about what needed to be done before the arrival of the mice. Kiwi just sat there, on her knees, shivering because of cold and fear. God, this was humiliating.  
 _Vinnie, I need you, now more than ever…_

"Well, where were we?"  
Kiwi looked up, seeing they were alone again. The Pitboss held up a whip, smiling evilly.  
"Oh, we're gonna have so much fun together. We have till _tomorrow_ , and when the mice are coming here, _unarmed_ and _on_ _foot_ … What? Why are you laughing?", he suddenly asked when Kiwi burst out into laughter.  
She just couldn't stop herself. No matter how humiliating this was, no matter how scary and intimidating the guy was, he was stupid, alright. They all were. She stopped laughing and looked up at him, a ice cold look in her eyes.  
"Never gonna happen, pork butt. As if they gonna listen to you… Gosh, you're dumb."  
Maybe it was the adrenaline.  
Maybe it was the thought that this guy truly was convinced the mice were gonna obey his orders.  
She had no idea, but she knew one thing when the words left her mouth; she just made a big mistake. Well, two actually.  
One; men never like it when you call them dumb and she wasn't really in the right position to provoke the guy.  
Two; she just gave away the one thing that could get her outta this mess unharmed, namely; time.  
Oh and how right she was…  
The Pitboss raised his whip and a immense pain made Kiwi scream when the end of the whip made contact with her thigh, cutting in her flesh. He raised his whip again and hit her again. And again. The skin on her thigh split open and Kiwi screamed again, crying in pain. Tears streamed over her face while holding her thigh with her chained hands. The Pitboss whirled the long whip around her neck and pulled. Kiwi fell forward on her belly, her fingers clamping around the whip so she could breathe, but it was no use.  
"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? I should kill you…", he hissed in her ear.  
Kiwi was struggling to get air, the world was already starting to fade away, when he suddenly released her. She coughed loudly and gasped for air. The Pitboss grabbed her by her hair and pulled her head back, so she could look at him.  
"And I will. But not now."  
And he let her go. Kiwi curled herself up on the floor, holding her legs. The pain in her right leg was killing her, blood was dripping out of the mean looking wound. She felt humiliated to the bone, and she couldn't stop shaking.  
"Vinnie, please… Help me…", she whispered, so soft that the Pitboss couldn't hear her.  
"Get back on your knees. Now."  
She did what he said, hoping he wasn't gonna hit her again. But suddenly…

Laserfire hit the floor, next to the Pitboss his feet. He jumped outta the way and looked music slowly filled the air. His face twisted in anger when he saw the mice whirling down on their bikes, using the wings.  
Kiwi looked up, a desperate look on her face and her eyes locked with Vinnie. The white furred mouse clearly needed a little time to process what he was seeing. First, his eyes grew big in surprise and shock, after that, he narrowed them and she could almost feel his rage down here.  
"How dare you to ignore my orders!?", the Pitboss yelled angrily, grabbing a rocket launcher.  
The mice were flying low now and Vinnie fired his laser, shooting the chain that was attached to the leather belt around Kiwi's neck.  
"Get the hell outta here, sweetheart. _NOW_!"  
His voice. God, he was pissed. She almost felt sorry for the Pitboss. Wait, what?  
"Yeah, we got some devastation to deal out", Throttle added, his voice so low it gave Kiwi goosebumps.  
"You don't have to tell me twice", she mumbled while scrambling on her feet. She grabbed her clothes with shaking hands and stumbled away, limping because of the wound in her leg.  
But the Pitboss wasn't gonna give up that easily. He fired a missile at the mice, who were now almost down. Vinnie saw it coming and ducked.  
"You're aim is as sorry as your face", he growled, while landing.  
"Oh, but I wasn't aiming at you, rodent…" and he fired another missile.  
Throttle and Modo landed too, but then, the two missiles exploded and before they could make it out, half of the castle landed on top of them, burying them under rubble and stones.  
Kiwi was almost at the door to freedom, when she heard the explosions. She froze and turned around. Her heart skipped a beat.  
"No… No, GUYS!", she screamed when she saw the huge pile of stones.  
Of course, that wasn't what made her scream in fear. It was the sight of Modo's tail coming out of the rubble, like a lifeless snake. She wanted to run towards them, but when she saw the Pitboss standing and smiling at her, she stopped death in her tracks. She needed to get the hell outta here, regroup and come back later. They needed her help, but there was nothing that she could do right now. She was gonna come back and get them outta here. And she prefered not to be naked when she did. She turned around and made a hasty retreat.  
"Sorry, guys… But don't worry, I'll be back… I promise..."

Kiwi was stumbling towards a barn she saw down the road. Maybe she could find there some tools that could help her remove these chains. She was wearing her bikini and shorts again, but putting on her shirt with the chains around her wrists obviously didn't work.  
She crept to the house, her head low. When she looked inside, she saw someone was working on something. She suddenly realized who it was. It was the guy with the monster truck. Along with that discovery came a huge relief. He'd helped the mice fighting Limburger. That made him one of the good guys, right?  
She ran towards him, her teeth clenched because of the pain in her leg, but suddenly started doubting. What if she was wrong? What if he worked for the Pitboss? She stopped, but he had already seen her. He walked towards her with a huge wire cutter in his hands. Kiwi held up her hands in fear and scrambled backwards.  
But before she could say anything, he cut the chains and they fell on the floor with a bang. She stared at it for a moment and looked up again.  
"There. You're free now", the dark skinned guy said with a deep, friendly voice. "Figured anybody who's wearing chains in the Pitboss his territory must be on the right side. The name's Four By."  
"T-thanks…", Kiwi stuttered, suddenly feeling the urge to cry because of his friendly voice.  
"You okay?", he asked, a little worried.  
Kiwi took a deep breath to grab herself together and put on her shirt.  
"Yeah, I guess…", but his look landed on her the bleeding wound on her leg.  
"That doesn't look okay to me", he said.  
Kiwi looked down. He was right. It did look nasty. And it hurted like hell. She quickly ripped a piece off her shirt and tied it around her leg.  
"That should do it for now. I eh… I'm Kiwi. I'm down here in these pits thanks to that lousy cheese face Lawrence…"  
"...Limburger", Four By filled in.  
"Yeah. The same stinkfish who framed you", she nodded.  
Four By froze and stared at her, a intense look in his eyes. He had beautiful eyes, she saw now. Deep brown, with a small hint of green.  
"You know about that?", he insisted. The tone in his voice was firm, but still friendly.  
"Are you kidding? I was there", Kiwi answered, grabbing the phone outta her pocket, showing it to him. "I filmed the whole thing, that's why he tried to get rid of me."  
Four By breathed in sharply.  
"What?! That slimy, no good…", he started, but he recovered himself. "I gotta go back there. I'll take that phone to the police, I'm sure they can get the footage…", he started, walking closer to Kiwi to grab the phone, but Kiwi stumbled back.  
"NO! Look, we can't… My biker friends might still be buried under a avalanche or… maybe even held captive by the Pitboss… We have to save them!"  
Four By nodded, putting back on his shirt. God, the guy was almost bigger than Modo, Kiwi realised now. He sure had the same muscular build as the mice. She had to admit, he was quite handsome. But she couldn't help herself that she was missing a fur or a tail. White fur. Ruby red eyes…  
"Biker's, 'ey?", Four By asked, breaking her outta her thoughts. "They wouldn't happen to be a little bit on the furry side, now would they?"  
Kiwi hesitated, she wasn't sure what to say. She knew Throttle didn't want anyone else finding out about them...  
"Uh… They're the… uh…", she stuttered.  
"The Biker Mice From Mars", Fourby smiled, turning around and looking at the thing he was working on. Kiwi suddenly saw what it was. It was the monster truck, but twice as big now. Wow…  
Wait, what? He knew about the mice?  
She felt Four By's hand grabbing her arm and dragging her with him towards the big truck.  
"The tree of us just have to rescue them", he said, while lifting her in the car.  
"Yeah, we totally should…", Kiwi answered absently, looking impressed around her. But then his words dawned on her.  
"Wait, what? Three of us?"  
"That's right, Kiwi. You, me and…" he started the car, a growling sound filled the barn they were in. " ...and the Mighty Mo."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pits, the mice were standing in the same arena again. Luckily, being buried under the rubble only had knocked them out cold. Well, they had a few scratches here and there, but at least no serious injuries.  
When they woke up in a cell, still dazed, the guards had grabbed them and brought them to the arena where they chained the mice with their hands to the ground. They could stand upright, but that's all. The Pitboss was sitting on his throne, with one leg dangling over one of the armrests, looking down with a evil smile.  
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time now, rodents", he chuckled. "Yeah… finally got this place rebuilt since you trashed it the last time we met…"  
Throttle, who was standing on the right side from Modo, chuckled. Not that he was amused, no, he was angry alright. The guy had crossed a line to treat Kiwi the way he did.  
"Well, maybe you should've gotten your face rebuilt while you're at… pal."  
His tail lashed through the air while saying these words.  
"Ya know, if you could spin ugly, you would be a rich man…", Modo growled, standing in the middle of his bro's, also upset.  
The Pitboss chuckled, clearly not impressed.  
"Okay, wise mouths. We're gonna keep this short, sweet and deadly…", he smiled, while standing up, gesturing around him. The mice looked up, seeing multiple guys standing on the highest tribune in the arena, guns aimed at their heads.  
"Get ready to fire…", the Pitboss smiled.  
Vinnie pulled on the chains, clenching his teeth. But it was no use. Even Modo couldn't get loose.  
"Ready..."  
No.  
This could not how his life would end. This wasn't a cool way to die. Chained up like rats, helpless… No way, man. He's supposed to die in a blaze of glory. And then there was Kiwi. He couldn't just leave her like this. Even thinking about her made his blood boil again. The Pitboss had touched her. She was bleeding when she ran away, he had seen it. And it made him wanna rip off the guys head. But he only could do that while being alive. And by the looks of things, that wasn't gonna be long…  
"Aim…"  
There was no way out. The bikes were also chained, unable to fire their laser or rockets.  
He looked at Modo and Throttle, who looked back. Throttle gave him a reassuring smile. As if he wanted to tell him it was okay. Okay that their life was about to end. Their life, full with death. Darkness. War. But Vinnie shook his head in denial. Even if life was hard, fucked up and deathly, there were so many things to live for. Modo was still pulling on the chains, also not ready to leave this world right now.  
But what could they do? Vinnie looked up at the Pitboss, who opened his mouth. He saw his lips forming the words _'fire'_ , and Vinnie closed his eyes. For a moment, there was only silence. He could hear his own breathing, his head was filled with a buzzing noise. He tensed his muscles, ready for impact, and let out his breath.  
But then…

A load roaring engine. A cracking sound when the wall crashed. Vinnie's eyes flew open and his lips curled in a smile when he saw the monster truck. Talk about good timing…  
A laser came out the roof of the truck, shooting the chains of the bikes. They came to life, revving their engine and drove towards their riders, using their lasers to free them.  
" _WHAT?!_ ", the Pitboss screamed in anger, but then he saw the mice jumping on their bikes. " _NO!"  
_ The guys drove around in the arena, shooting at the Pitcrew that had almost killed them just minutes ago. They all ran away, remembering the last time they tried to fight these creatures.  
They stopped their bikes close at the throne, looking up at the Pitboss with fuming eyes, while the monster truck stopped behind them.  
"Who dares invading the castle of the Pitboss?", the blond headed man asked.  
Four By opened his door, showing himself.  
"The name's Four By. And chaining up people is against the law…"  
" _HA_! You're outta your mind!", the Pitboss yelled, jumping down into the arena and grabbing his whip. This time, his electrical whip.  
"There is no law in the pits…"  
He lashed out and the end of the whip whirled around Four By's wrist. But the big guy just clenched his teeth while feeling the electricity running through his body and pulled. The mice jumped off their bikes and grabbed the whip, ignoring the electricity too. They used all their strength and the Pitboss wasn't up against it.  
After one more hard pull, the blond headed man flew towards the group and Four By grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him up. His nose almost touched the nose of the Pitboss, while throwing away the whip.  
"There is now…" and he threw the Pitboss on the ground, making him land on his butt. Hard.

Vinnie was having a hard time to stop himself from launching on the guy and choke him with his bare hands for what he did to Kiwi, but he knew this wasn't his fight anymore. If Four By wanted to stand up against the crazy Pitboss, he needed to do that alone. To show he was one you shouldn't mess with. But still… He touched Kiwi. He hurt her. Vinnie tensed, clenching his teeth. He felt Throttle's hand on his shoulder, and he looked at the tan furred mouse, who gave him a warning look. Vinnie looked back at the guy who had hurt his girl. Who had treated her like she was some kinda animal.  
While Vinnie was having his inner battle what to do, Four By walked closer to the Pitboss, who was still lying on the floor. The cruel man was looking around him, in the hope the Pitcrew came to help him. But he was alone. He looked up at Four By, trying to get on his feet, but suddenly, a white blur grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up. The Pitboss raised his eyes and looked into a pair of fuming, ruby red eyes, almost burning a hole in his skull.  
"If you ever, _EVER_ touch my girl again, you're a dead man... Then nothing is gonna be able to save you… You got that?"  
The low voice of the creature even gave the Pitboss goosebumps. He felt the white furred hand that was holding his shirt vibrating, knowing the mouse was using all his strength to keep himself from killing him right here, right now. But he wasn't one that was easily impressed. Well, he had to admit, he was impressed. But it wasn't really necessary to show it. His lips curled into a evil smile, looking at the furious white furred mouse.  
"Your point is well taken. But tell me something… is the pussy of that little slut of yours that tight as I think it is?"  
Vinnie's eyes grew big for a moment, surprised by the nerve of this guy. But then the words dawned on him. He gritted his teeth, his tail lashed through the air while clenching his fist. But before he could do something, he felt a pair of hands grabbing him. A metal hand peeled his fingers loose from the shirt of the Pitboss and he was dragged away. Four By grabbed the electric whip and hit the Pitboss with it, knocking the guy out. He quickly chained his hands together and turned to the mice. Modo was holding Vinnie, who was struggling to get loose. The dark skinned man lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
"Listen, bro. Let me promise you this, things are gonna change down here now. And this guy…", and he gestured to the Pitboss. "... is never gonna touch your girl again, or any other girl for that matter. I promise you that."  
Vinnie stopped struggling, looking at Four By. He narrowed his eyes, studying the face of the human male. He saw honesty. Determination. He took a deep breath to calm down.  
"Okay. Okay. Fair enough."  
Throttle let him go and the white furred mouse quickly walked towards the Mighty Mo, climbed up and opened the door. Kiwi stared at him for a moment, but then she smiled.  
"Hey macho mouse…", she whispered.  
Vinnie wrapped his arms around her, carrying her out of the cabin. Once back on the ground, he pulled her against him, holding her tightly.  
"Sweetheart… Are you okay?", he whispered in her ear.  
"Yeah, I am…. Really, how is it you guys always have such a good timing?", she said softly while burying her face into his soft fur on his chest.  
"You really need to ask that? We're the baddest mamma jammers from Mars. Duh", Vinnie said as if it was the most logical thing on Earth (and Mars).  
Maybe it was.  
But then, he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye, a serious look on his face.  
"But dammit doll, no matter how good we are, and always will be, what if… Uhm... I'm not sure how to put this. But let's just say, hypothetical speaking of course, you get in trouble again and we won't be on time? I know, I know, what are the odds, right? Especially when we talk about _moi_. But you know… _what if_?"  
Kiwi pinched his cheek, a little smile on her lips.  
"Let's just hope there won't be a next time."  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes. That was not the answer he was hoping for. But Throttle interrupted them.  
"We still got us a fish to fry, bro's. And clear the name of our new bro here."  
Vinnie looked one more time at Kiwi.  
' _This isn't over'_ , he mouthed, a warning but playful look in his eyes.  
Kiwi blushed and quickly made herself loose and limped over to Throttle.  
"I got everything on film, Throttle. I can send the footage to the news, that will take care of it."  
Throttle looked concerned at her leg, but then nodded.  
"Do it."

Limburger was pleased with himself. The mice were in the pits, he got away with trashing a school… He grabbed a handful of worms and stuffed them into his mouth, sighing happily.  
"What a wonderful weekend this has being", he smiled, leaning back in his chair and lying his feet on the desk. "Nothing, absolutely nothing, could ruin my subliminally satisfied mood right now…"  
Suddenly, one of the TV's that was hanging on the wall, came to life and Modo's head appeared on the screen, looking smugly at Limburger.  
"Hey there, cheese face", he smiled. "Is your insurance paid up?"  
Limburger looked back, a confused look on his face.  
"Insurance? Whatever do you…", but he jumped on his feet before he finished that sentence. He waddled to the window, looking down.  
"NOOOO!", he yelled when he saw what was happening.

Throttle and Vinnie smiled when they attached the ends of the huge chain, that was whirled around Limburger's tower, together.  
Modo was sitting on his bike, looking at the screen in his dashboard when Limburger came back into view.  
"I'll teach you smug little vermin a lesson you'll never forget!"  
He grabbed his phone, still looking at Modo with a angry look on his face.  
"Get me police commissioner Taylor, NOW!"  
Modo shook his head with a smile.  
"No need to place that call, eel lips."  
Vinnie joined the conversation on screen.  
"'Cause the commissioner is holding on the other line."  
"Yeah, something to do with what's showing on the news right now…",. Throttle also joined.  
He nodded at Kiwi, who was sitting at the back of Vinnie's bike with her laptop. She pressed enter and now, the news was on the TV's in Limburger's office.

The mice saw the look on Limburgers face switching from smugly to scared. The tape showed how he and Karbunkle were standing close by the school, Limburger yelling at him to destroy it. Of course, Kiwi had only send the parts where Limburger was on, leaving the mice completely out of it.  
Limburger sighed, knowing he was defeated.  
"Point, match and checkmate to you fearless furboys. Who surely aren't so vindictive as to purposely tear down my beloved building… Are you?", the big fish asked at them.  
"Who? _Us?_ Never!", Vinnie smiled innocent.  
"But, we can't speak for others", Modo chuckled.  
"Others? What others?", Limburger asked, clearly worried now.  
"All set, Four By. Hehehe… all the way", Throttle chuckled in his radio.  
"Oh dear…", Limburger sighed.

Down in the pits, Four By smiled and put the pedal to the floor. Mighty Mo flew forward, pulling on the chain, that now cut into the stones of the building and the mice made a quickly retreat to a building closeby, to watch the show from there. The whole building crumbled into dust.  
"Ah… no matter how many times I see it…", Modo sighed.  
His bro's smiled.  
"Increase the peace, bro's", they heard Four By yelling over the radio.  
"Ride free, citizen!", they answered.  
"Well… Looks like Four By has found the open spaces he wanted", Modo smiled.  
"Sure does. In a place that really needs someone like him", Throttle agreed.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder at Kiwi.  
"Let's get you home, that wound needs treatment, pretty lady."  
Kiwi nodded, holding her leg. It was hurting like hell. But she had refused to go back home early. She wanted to help to get Limburger down. And clear Four By's name. Heck, they even _needed_ her, since she was the magical hacker. But now, the heat was starting to get to her again and the pain in her leg was almost unbearable.  
"Oh, and I fixed the airco, by the way", Vinnie said while they drove back home.  
"What? Really? How did you do it?", she asked surprised, remembering she had tried everything to get that thing back to work,  
"Let's just say Vinnie used one of his many talents", Throttle chuckled.  
"Or maybe it was just because he lost his patience and smashed the thing", Modo answered dryly.  
"Hey! It worked, right?"  
"You smashed it? God, I can't let you guys home alone for… HEY! That reminds me… You guys just LEFT me!", Kiwi yelled, punching Vinnie on the back.  
The white furred mouse glanced over his shoulder, a slight blush on his cheeks.  
"Hehe, yeah, about that…"  
Throttle quickly intervened.  
"We'll talk about that when we are home and your wound is treated. I mean, I also have something to discuss with you, Kiwi. Something about getting in trouble all the time…"  
He said it lightly, but Kiwi could hear the serious tone in his voice. She shrunk a little, grabbing Vinnie and leaning against his back.  
"I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to that talk…", she mumbled.  
Vinnie squeezed his tail that was around her waist, but said nothing. It wasn't that he was mad at her, but he was with Throttle on this one.  
This girl really needed to learn to stay outta trouble.

* * *

Oh dear, Kiwi is in for a heavy talk.

Don't worry, I didn't forget about Ruby.  
But maybe the mice did… Hehehe. Wonder if she's gonna be mad at them.

Please, feel free to review and till next time!

Later!


	40. Chapter 39

Yo yo yo!

At first.. I know, I know, it's getting old, but I'll keep thanking you for your reviews.  
I really appreciate them after all, so I won't let any chance pass by without taking it and use it to thank you guys.

So, here it comes.  
Ready?  
Really?  
Okay, okay…

THANK YOU SO MUCH! It means the world to me.

Well, that being said, onto the next chapter. And there is gonna be a radical turning of events (for those who read my previous stories; no worries, it's not gonna be _that_ radical. Ya know, like that one time I blew up the whole planet Mars… hehehe…). But it will effect Kiwi and the mice, big time.

Anywayz, enough with the talking, enjoy reading this chapter, hope you guys like it. ^^

* * *

 **Chapter thirty nine**

"Hey there, Ruby ma'am, I wanted to ask you to come home, because...", Modo started, but the red headed woman gave him no chance to finish his sentence.  
"Come home? I WAS home, because I had a lunch date with three alien mice and my friend, but it turned out they let me down. And now you expect me to come home, because you ask me to? Who do you think I am, your maid?"  
Modo held the phone away from his big ear to avoid he was gonna be deaf for the rest of his life. His face darkened, looking pleading at the phone as if that would help to stop the red headed woman from screaming.  
"And what did I say about calling me ma'am?!", Ruby continued to rage.  
Modo looked at Vinnie and Throttle, who were looking at the ceiling, trying very hard not to be here right now. Kiwi was lying on the couch, holding her leg in pain, her head resting on Vinnie's lap.  
Oh momma… By the looks of things, he was on his own.  
"Eh, Ruby, calm down, I can explain... ", Modo tried to intervene, but Ruby was clearly not amused by the fact they hadn't been there for lunch this afternoon.  
"Explain? You just let me walk into that house, that is a fucking oven right now, for nothing! I left my work, for nothing! And you didn't even call!"  
Modo frowned a little bit. How was he gonna explain this to her if she didn't let him talk?  
"Ruby…"  
"No, I'm gonna hang up now, I need time to cool off, I…"  
"Ruby, it's about…"  
"I speak to you later, when you know how to appreciate me again…"  
"It's about Kiwi, she's hurt!", Modo yelled in the phone.  
There was a silence. Modo let out his breath in relief. Finally, she stopped talking.  
"Oh. Why didn't you say so? I'm on my way."  
And she broke the connection.  
Modo just stared at the phone. Could you believe this woman?  
"She sure has a little temper, bro", Vinnie chuckled, looking at his mind blown gray furred bro.  
"Ya think?  
"That's Ruby for ya", Kiwi smiled, despite her pain. "She obviously doesn't like it to be forgotten. Geez, I wonder why…"  
"Pretty lady attitude. Don't forget it was you who got herself into trouble… again…", Vinnie retorted.  
Kiwi gasped.  
"Oh, that's so no fair, I…", but Vinnie bend over and kissed her to shut her up.  
Kiwi froze for a moment, but then kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. God, she wanted him. Ever since that moment in the woods, you know, that super hot moment, they hadn't really been… together. She wasn't sure why not, but Vinnie clearly had kept his distance. Maybe because he felt unstable, with the whole thing that had happened. Maybe he was scared he was gonna lose control and hurt her.  
He broke off the kiss, biting softly in her lip in the process before he sat up straight again, his lips curled into that smile she loved so much.  
Kiwi looked up at him, a dazed and happy look on her face.  
"And that, ladies and gentlemice, is how you shut Kiwi up", Throttle chuckled softly.

Modo was still staring at the phone, clearly upset because Ruby was mad at him. After all, it wasn't his intention to _ditch_ Ruby, it was because Limburger had been up to something. And because of the whole thing, he indeed forgot about her. But not because he wanted to. No, because the fight and after that, the worry about Kiwi had taken all of his attention.  
Was she ever gonna forgive him? How could she forgive him, if she didn't let him explain?  
Kiwi saw the look on the poor mouse his face.  
"Modo, she'll come around. I know her. She barks a lot, but she doesn't bite. She will cool down and then you can explain her what happened. She'll understand. Don't beat yourself too hard."  
"Ah, so that means you also understand why we forgot about you then, don't you sweetheart?", Vinnie smiled, quickly using this moment to save his own ass.  
Kiwi looked back at him, her eyes fuming for a moment.  
"No way! That's just not the same, ya know? You guys left me! With Limburger! And…", but Throttle stopped her by holding up his hand.  
"Enough. Like I said, first you get that wound treated, after that... we'll talk. And with talk, I mean, _talk_. Not bickering like children", and he gave Vinnie a meaningful look.  
"Hey man, no fair, I….", but when he saw Throttle's ears twitch, he quickly shut his mouth again.  
Kiwi giggled when she saw the look on Vinnie's face. Like a kid who got blamed for something he didn't do.  
Silence dawned on them and Throttle let out his breath, using this small moment of peace and quietness to close his eyes for a moment.  
After all, these moments were very rare, so he needed to make sure to take advantage of it.

"Kiwi, I swear to god, if you don't sit still, I _will_ drug you!", Ruby growled between clenched teeth.  
If you thought the mice were difficult patients, well, try Kiwi instead. The girl was wiggling in her seat, trying to avoid the touch of Ruby's hands.  
"But it hurts, Ruby! You can't just touch it like that!", Kiwi cried out.  
Ruby narrowed her eyes.  
"Oh really? Then how I'm supposed to clean it, stitch it and bandage it if I can't touch you?"  
Kiwi fell silent.  
"Maybe you _should_ drug me…", she mumbled, leaning against Vinnie.  
"I can give you a local anesthetic, okay?", Ruby suggested, already searching in her magical bag.  
Vinnie froze by hearing these words. Kiwi felt it and untangled herself.  
"Go", she whispered, patting him on the shoulder.  
Vinnie hesitated, but Kiwi pushed him away.  
"Go, Vinnie, I'm in good hands, even if these hands are hurting me…", and she gave Ruby a meaningful look.  
"Oh, come on…", the red headed woman sputtered, but Kiwi turned her head back to Vinnie.  
"What I don't want, is seeing you having another panic attack. So, go."  
Vinnie planted a kiss on her forehead and while standing up, he pointed at Throttle.  
"You take my place, okay?" and he walked to the garage, to work on his beloved bike.  
Throttle sat down next to Kiwi and she leaned against him while he wrapped his arms around her.  
"Okay, let's do this."

One and a half hour later, the wound was clean, stitched and tickly packed with bandage and they were all sitting in the kitchen, while Ruby was making hot dogs. She had called her work to tell them she'd called it a day and that she was gonna be back tomorrow. After all the overwork she had done the past few weeks, her boss didn't complain.  
Modo was awfully quiet, still somehow impressed by Ruby's anger. Poor guy.  
Kiwi grabbed his hand for a moment, and he looked at her. She squeezed softly, while giving him a reassuring smile. He gave her a little smile back, before looking at Ruby's back.  
"Just explain", Kiwi whispered.  
Modo nodded and cleared his throat.  
"Ahum, Ruby ma… _Ruby_. I'm really sorry that we… that I let you down for lunch. But Limburger was planning something and we needed to…"  
"...do what we always do, whip some tail and save the city", Vinnie interrupted him proudly.  
Kiwi punched him on the arm, giving him a warning look.  
"Autsj! Hey sweetheart, what gives? I'm just telling it like is", he protested, rubbing his arm, but Kiwi ignored him.  
Ruby slowly turned around to look at Modo, who was trying to find back the words after the sudden interrupt from Vinnie.  
"Well, yeah, something like that. He was attacking a school, with kids… We needed to stop him and after that, well things just went on and… What I'm trying to say, is that I would never let a lady down without reason. My gray furred momma would turn around in her grave if I would. Heck, she probably would come back to kick my ass", Modo chuckled, a loving look on his face when he spoke about his mom.  
Ruby's face softened.  
"It's okay, Modo. I maybe overreacted a little…"  
"A little?", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but quickly raised his hands in defence when he saw the look on Ruby's face. "Sorry, just pretend that I'm not here…"  
"That's kinda hard when you constantly interfere with our conversation, bro... ", Modo slowly said, shaking his head. Maybe he needed to take Ruby apart, so they could talk in private about this.  
"Maybe you should tell us about that one thing that happened on Mars, Modo?", Kiwi suggested, knowing this was perfect blackmail material to make Vinnie shut his damn mouth.  
"NO! There's absolutely no need to bring that up! I'm not just pretty, ya know, I know when to take a hint", Vinnie pointed out, looking at Kiwi.  
"Than take it and shut up", she smiled innocently at him. "You're right about the pretty part, though", she added softly, winking at him. A blush appeared on his face and he looked down, fiddling at his bandoliers.  
Ruby set down the plate with hotdogs on the table.  
"Ah, another thing to shut Vinnie up", Kiwi giggled. Vinnie's head jerked up, but before he could retort, Throttle decided to intervene.  
"Okay, okay, enough for now. Honestly, what is wrong with you guys today? Is there a storm coming, or something? Let's eat."

After dinner, Throttle looked at Kiwi. She shrunk when she saw the stern look in his eyes, knowing it was now time for _'the talk'_.  
"Kiwi. I'm not sure how to put this, but what is it with that talent of yours to get into trouble all the time? I mean, these guys are dangerous. Look what happened today, and what _almost_ happened? If we hadn't showed up, he probably would've…", the tan furred mouse trailed off.  
".. raped me, you mean? Yeah, I know. I was there, remember?", Kiwi snapped at him.  
Throttle lowered his glasses for a moment and looked at her with his pinkish bionic eyes. Then, he pushed it back up and sighed.  
Kiwi, already feeling guilty because of her reaction, sighed too.  
"I'm sorry, I don't want to talk to you like that, but you always act as if I'm doing these things on purpose. That is not the story here, and you know it. After all, it was you guys who left me behind by that school, remember? So, I took a cab home. But then, I heard on the radio about what was happening at the pits and I thought I could find you there. When I did came there, you guys just left… _again_. Then, I wanted to give the video to the police, but Limburger heard me and he and Karbunkle just pushed me into the pits. The Pitboss found me and well… Things got a little awkward after that. I was only trying to help…"  
Throttle's face softened.  
"I know, babe, and believe me, I appreciate that. But somehow, you wanting to help always gets you into trouble."  
"Yeah, well, I never chose to be the damsel in distress all the time", Kiwi said without thinking.  
Throttle breathed in sharply, Vinnie looked like she just had slapped him in the face and Modo looked somehow very small all of a sudden. Kiwi suddenly realized what she just said.  
"No, I don't mean… God, it's not your fault, guys. I just mean…", but she couldn't find the words.  
Shit, she had hurt them with saying that. She sounded like all this was because they just ran into her life, because they dragged her with them in their war, but it wasn't like that.  
Shit.  
"I think what Kiwi is trying to say is that she wants to fight this war _with_ you. But because you guys always leave her out of it, she's doing things on her own, to help you anyway. But she sometimes seems to forget she's a fragile human, no super alien mouse and that she's your guys weakness…", Ruby simply explained.  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes, but then slowly nodded.  
"Eh yeah, I think that pretty much covers it… Except that part about being a fragile human maybe, but yeah… She's right."  
"But you _are_ a human, Kiwi, fragile or not. And no soldier", Throttle pointed out.  
"Right. Let's just forget about all the things I already did to help you guys. Things you couldn't have done without me!"  
Kiwi was getting angry. Really, she understood why Throttle was so worried about her getting hurt. But they also _asked_ _her_ for her help many times already.  
"She does have a point there, bro", Vinnie finally opened his mouth. "Without her, we'd ended up as lunch for those Monster Zilla's. Or living alongside the dinosaurs right now… Just saying."  
"It's not that we don't want you on the team, Kiwi ma'am. We just don't want you to get hurt", Modo added.  
Kiwi took a deep breath to calm down. Getting angry wasn't getting her nowhere. I mean, she couldn't really blame them for being worried about her. They did had to save her from a few pressing situations so far.  
"Look, all I want is to help, okay? Maybe you guys need to _let_ me help you. I get it you don't bring me with you when you're riding into a battle, but there are still a lot of things I can do without getting hurt. Maybe Ruby is right, maybe you need to involve me, so I don't feel the need to do things behind your backs."  
"Hey, now just wait a minute, that's _not_ what I meant…", Ruby protested, but Vinnie cut her off.  
"So, what are ya saying, sweetheart?", he asked, unusual serious now. But this was about the safety of his girl. Even he didn't made jokes about that.  
"I'm saying, you big lummoxes, you need to let me fight this war _with_ you. To make me a permanent member of the team. And if you do, I'll promise I won't go out on a warpath alone again."  
The mice shared a look. Maybe she was right. She did have a point. But still…  
"So that's what's so important to you, isn't it? Being a member of the team?", Throttle asked.  
Kiwi nodded, seeing everything crystal clear now. This is what she always had wanted.  
"Yes, it is. I never really belonged somewhere, ya know? Never really fitted in. But I now know where I belong. In your team. Not just as 'Vinnie's girl', or as the damsel in distress because I'm your weakness, but as myself. As Kiwi. You guys know what I can do. I can help you. And I'm already involved. I know you don't like that, I know you wish I wasn't, but I am. So, I better make myself useful then, right?"  
There was a long silence, the mice were staring at each other.  
"I dunno…", Vinnie eventually said, looking at Kiwi again.  
"Maybe we should talk to Carbine about this", Throttle suggested.  
"What if you get hurt?", Modo asked again.  
"With all due respect, Carbine has nothing to do with this. And Modo, you guys get hurt all the time. Besides, if you finally are gonna see me as one of you, instead of keeping me away, I won't get in trouble that much anymore."  
"Carbine is our General, like it or not, Kiwi. And now we've restored communication with Mars, we're back under her command", Throttle said almost toneless.  
"Ugh, man, come on. We're Freedom Fighters, no army. She doesn't _own_ us like that", Vinnie protested. "She's still on another planet. We're fighting our own fight here. My pretty lady is right, Carbine's got nothing to do with this."  
"She's the General of the Freedom Fighters, Vinnie, and you know that…", but Vinnie stopped his tan furred bro.  
"Stoker is our leader, not Carbine. She can sit there, give orders and do whatever she thinks is necessary, but she's _not_ our leader. Never been and never will."  
Throttle tensed, his tail started to twitch.  
"Watch your big mouth, Vincent. Before you cross a line you don't wanna cross... "  
But Vinnie wasn't impressed.  
"What line? I'm just telling it like it is. Look, I know you guys are back together, being each others soulmates and all, whatever man, but let's not forget about the fact she _locked_ us up and _accused_ us for being traitors…"  
"Oh come on, we all know this isn't about that. You never liked her", Throttle snorted.  
"Nope, and I never will. But for once, this isn't about me. This is about you, having your head so far stuck in her…", but Modo quickly slammed a hand over Vinnie's mouth to avoid he was gonna finish that sentence.  
God only knew what would happen if he did.  
Throttle clenched his teeth and stared at his white furred bro. God, the kid could be so annoying sometimes.  
Kiwi lay a hand on Throttle's shoulder.  
"Look, I don't know what's going on between you two", referring to Vinnie and him. "...and I don't want you to think that I want to disrespect Carbine. But really, all that matters for me is your opinion. I don't care about what Carbine thinks. She doesn't mean that much to me as you do. All I want, is your permission. That you give me a place to fit in. That would mean the world to me."  
Throttle gave Vinnie one more angry look before he turned his attention to Kiwi.  
"So, you promise you won't go out alone and do things behind our backs?"  
Kiwi nodded.  
"I promise."  
"And you also promise that you'll listen to us, to every command we give you, without hesitation?"  
"Yes."  
Throttle looked at Modo, who was still holding Vinnie. The gray furred giant nodded, to let him know he was okay with this.  
Then, Throttle looked at Vinnie, who looked back almost challenging. But he also nodded.  
"Fine. You're in. But there are a few terms. When your leg is healed, training starts. You need to learn how to fight, most importantly, how to defend yourself. And you need to learn how to ride a bike."  
Kiwi was smiling and nodding, but when she heard these last words, she froze and the smile vanished.  
"R-riding a bike?"  
"Yep."  
"But…"  
"You said you wanted this, right?"  
"Well, yeah, but…"  
"Nobody said it was gonna be easy, Kiwi. This isn't a game. This is real life. This is war."  
Kiwi let out her breath. He was right.  
"Okay."

Ruby was listening to all this, not amused by the fact that Kiwi was gonna be involved in a war. Okay, technically she already was. But still...  
"I dunno, Kiwi… Are you sure about this?"  
Kiwi looked at the red headed woman, nodding firmly.  
"Yes."  
And she felt it. She was sure, alright. She had never been so sure about anything. This was her life goal. This was the reason why she was still alive, why faith had pulled her back after her attempted suicide and spit her out on this planet again.  
Ruby studied her face, seeing the determination in Kiwi's eyes. Why someone could be that devoted to join a war, she would never understand. Not after the things she'd seen. But she knew Kiwi. And there was no way from stopping her. If that girl had something in her head, she was gonna do it, no matter what. Trying to stop her would only motivate her even more. The mice seemed to know that too. Maybe that's why they were gonna let her join _'the team'_.  
But still… It gave her a unexplained and nagging feeling of pain. Kiwi was like the daughter she never had. She cared deeply about that small but strong girl with black hair and blue eyes. And she kept asking herself; is this what her father had wanted for his daughter? That she was gonna join a intergalactic war? A rebellious resistance? She wasn't sure.  
Well, that was a lie. She knew exactly that this wasn't the future he'd planned for his daughter.  
"Well, as long as you know I don't think this is a good idea", she heard herself saying.  
Shit. That came out wrong.  
Kiwi shrunk a little, but then straightened her back again.  
"To be honest, I don't care about what you think."  
That did hurt Ruby. Badly. She'd taking care of this girl after losing her parents, helping her through her by far deepest hours, she'd found her after she tried to kill herself, she was always by her side, being her friend, a mother, maybe. And she was the only one who Kiwi had left. So, Kiwi let her help her. Let her be there for her. Let her be the mother she needed so badly at that point. But now, she had the mice. And Ruby felt, no matter how childish that may sound, replaced. Left out. It broke her heart, to be honest.  
Modo carefully swung an arm around her shoulders in a attempt to comfort her. But Ruby was suddenly done. Done with this whole thing. Done with Martian Mice from Mars, who took away her girl. Who dragged her into their war. After everything she had done for Kiwi, she had the nerve to say straight into her face that she didn't care about her opinion.  
The red headed woman pushed Modo away and jumped at her feet, tears in her fuming eyes. Kiwi looked up startled, so where Vinnie and Throttle.  
"If this is what you want, fine! Go ahead, do your thing. Go fight in a war that's not even ours. But let me tell you this; I'm not just gonna sit here and watch helplessly how your head, your mind, is gonna be poisoned by sorrow and death. If you want this, you'll have to do it without me. So tell me, what is it gonna be?"  
Kiwi stared at the angry woman, not sure what to say.  
"That's what I thought. I'm outta here", and Ruby stormed away. They heard the front door closing with a loud bang and after that, her car speeding away with shrieking tires.  
For a moment, there was only silence. Kiwi was still trying to wrap her mind around this whole thing. Modo had a thoughtful look on his face, just like Throttle.  
And then there was Vinnie.  
"Damn, she's hot when she's angry."

Kiwi was sitting in the yard, staring at the sun that was slowly dropping. After Vinnie's stupid timing for saying something stupid, she'd left the kitchen and now she was sitting here, trying to figure out why Ruby had been this upset.  
"She lost her husband and son, ya know. Because of war."  
Modo's voice.  
The gray furred giant slowly sat down next to her. Kiwi looked at him with her mouth wide open.  
"Say what? She had a husband and a son? What? How… She never told me…"  
"She told me after drinking two bottles of wine, so no worries, it's not because I'm special", Modo smiled a little sadly, patting her arm.  
Kiwi gave him a little smile back. But then, her face grew serious again.  
"But what do you mean, because of war?"  
Modo told her what Ruby had told him. Normally, he didn't like to share other people's stories, but he told her because it cracked is heart to see Kiwi this lost. He wanted to help her understand, because honestly...? He had no idea if they were gonna see Ruby ever again…  
That broke his heart. He really was crazy about her. He maybe even loved her. But that was the reason that all he wanted for her was to be happy. Maybe this whole thing was just too much for her. Even if she was the one who told him not to live in the past, things like this always stick. Losing your husband and son because of the effects of war is not something you just forget. Sure, you give it a place. You move on. But you never forget.  
Maybe being here with them, with the war they were fighting, maybe it's too confronting. And now Kiwi wanted to join them… Well, he could only imagine her pain. So, yeah, that's why he wasn't sure if she was ever gonna come back. He really hoped she was. But he would understand if she wasn't.  
"I never meant to hurt her, ya know? I just… I finally know who I am and why I'm here. That maybe sounds crazy, but it was something I was asking myself for a long time. And I just don't want anybody to stop me from doing what I think that's good for me. Does this even make any sense?"  
"Yeah, it does, sweetheart."  
Vinnie's voice. Kiwi and Modo whirled around, looking at the white furred mouse that was standing close by, his ears a little drooped.  
Modo patted Kiwi on the back.  
"I'll give you guys some privacy", and he walked back inside.  
Vinnie slowly walked towards her and Kiwi couldn't keep her eyes off him. He was so goddamn sexy, it was almost a crime.  
Well, she could always lock him up with her and throw away the key...  
"Listen, I'm sorry I said that. I just… well… I dunno... ", he stuttered, but Kiwi shook her head.  
"It's okay, Vin, I know you. You just talk before you think, no problem."  
"But you're upset…", Vinnie stated, now standing right in front of her.  
"Yeah, because I hurt Ruby. And I'm not sure if she's ever gonna forgive me…"  
Vinnie lay one finger under her chin and pushed her head up, forcing her to look into his beautiful eyes.  
"You're about to witness something that doesn't happen that often, and that is me telling how things really are. Listen to this. If she just leaves you here, without any explanation, she isn't worth your company and love. You're following your heart, and she should encourage that, instead of acting this selfish. And I can tell, because lemme get one thing straight, sweetheart: the last thing I want is involving my girl into this fucking war. But I know I can't stop you. I know this is what you want. You're listening to your heart. So who am I to stop you from doing that? Same goes for Ruby. Besides, if this means I can keep you safe, well… That's the most important thing to me. Selfish indeed, but I never told anyone I wasn't."  
Kiwi stared at him, her jaw almost on her knees. Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
"Really, why is everybody always looking like that when I say something that is so super obvious?"  
Kiwi recovered herself, grabbing his hands.  
"Sorry, it's just… I never thought about it that way, because honestly, it isn't that obvious. Thanks, love. For supporting me. For accepting me. It means so much to me. And you can always be selfish if that means you're always gonna be by my side."  
"Anything for you, pretty lady. You should know that by now."  
"So uhm... I'm still your girl?"  
"What? Of course you are, sweetheart, why you ask?"  
"Well, we haven't really been together ever since… you know… Back in… the… woods…?"  
Vinnie had a thoughtful frown on his face, clearly not knowing where she… oh. She saw it click. His face switched to guilt. Oh dear.  
"Vinnie, I didn't say that to hurt you, I just… I don't understand why you keep your distance...", Kiwi quickly said.  
"I eh… I was just so upset, ya know? I lost it. I lost control. What if…", he mumbled softly, fiddling with her shirt.  
Yep. This confirmed that she knew him too well.  
"Vinnie, it's okay. You're not gonna hurt me, I know it. Besides, I'm not made of glass, so stop treat me as if I'm gonna break. Also, if you do hurt me, which I highly doubt, but okay, _IF_ you do, I can use this magical thing they call a voice to stop you."  
Vinnie's lips curled into a smile for a moment because of that comment, but it soon faded away.  
"I dunno, sweetheart…"  
"Look, I don't wanna push you into something that doesn't feel right. Just… think about it, okay? Because I want you."  
Vinnie nodded.  
"Okay, I will."

Days past by. Kiwi had tried to call Ruby multiple times, but every time it went straight to voicemail. Kiwi suspected the red headed woman had blocked her number. Ugh.  
And here she was, thinking Ruby was one of the grown ups.  
Modo was trying to keep his head up, but he was having a hard time, they all could tell. But he kept saying it was her choice. That he wanted her to be happy. And Kiwi had to admit, she believed him. He really wanted the best for Ruby. But that didn't change the fact it was sad.  
The heat was still haunting Chicago, forcing the mice to stay inside most of the time. Luckily, the aico was still working, so it wasn't really a punishment to stay inside. But when Kiwi opened the fridge, she saw she needed to do some groceries.  
"Guys, we're almost outta rootbeer", she yelled while limping to the garage.  
Throttle looked up from his work on his bike.  
"We'll go get some, you can't drive with that leg of yours."  
Kiwi wanted to protest, but Modo stopped her.  
"It's no problem, Kiwi ma'am. Sure we all want to stretch our legs a little", and he patted the handlebar of his beloved Little Hos.  
"Yeah, sure, great idea! Except my bike isn't going anywhere right now", Vinnie pouted, looking at his red racing bike. Since they were stuck inside, he had decided to give his bike a major overhaul. So, the whole thing was lying in parts on the ground.  
"Then I guess you've no other choice than to stay here", Kiwi smiled.  
But Vinnie wasn't amused.  
"Ah man, what if you guys bump into Limburgers goons and have fun without me?", he whined.  
"We'll tell them you said hi if we do, don't worry, Vinnie my man", Modo rumbled.  
Kiwi gave Throttle her credit card and after saying goodbye, they left the garage.  
Kiwi quickly closed the garage door again, to keep the heat out. She slowly turned around to the white furred mouse, who was already busy with his bike again, still softly cursing to himself.  
Maybe he didn't realize they were alone, Kiwi wondered.  
"Sooooo… What to do, now that we have the whole house for ourselves?", she casually asked.  
"Fixing my bike that is, god dammit", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
Kiwi sighed heavily. This needed some more drastic measures. She knew she'd told him she didn't want to push him. But this was getting ridiculous. She wanted him. And when she wanted something, she always made sure she was gonna get it. She smiled wickedly and quickly left the garage.  
She knew just the thing to get his attention.

Vinnie was almost done with his bike, when he heard the door open. Good, he needed to ask Kiwi where she had left the tools she always brought with her. He needed one of them and he couldn't find it anywhere.  
"Sweetheart, do you know where… _oh_ …", the white furred mouse trailed off, his eyes wide open.  
The door was open, but the only thing he saw was one leg, wrapped in a lace stocking. His eyes followed the leg up, noticing the garterbelt. His mouth became dry. Slowly, Kiwi came into view, leaning casually against the doorway with one hand above her head and the other in her side. She smiled seductively at him, waving her eyelashes.  
Vinnie was still sitting on his knees next to his bike, staring at her with his mouth open. She was wearing some sort of corset, made of lace and black satin, pushing her breast up. Vinnie's eyes lowered. He saw a stripe naked skin of her stomach before his eyes landed on her underwear. It was also made of lace, barely covering anything. His heart started to beat faster. Over the small piece of underwear, the black garter belt, attached to the lace stockings she was wearing. He hardly noticed the bandage that was still around her right leg.  
"Hey there, sexy", Kiwi purred, slowly walking closer to him. "Are you just gonna sit there, or…"  
That snapped Vinnie out of his staring and he jumped at his feet. Within two steps he was standing in front of her and he wrapped his strong arms around her, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he kissed her roughly. She kissed him back eagerly, her hands sliding into his fur on his back. A low growl escaped his mouth and while still kissing her, he walked to the desk. In one movement, he bend forward and wiped the desk empty. He lay her down on her back, still kissing her wildly. His hands found the corset and ripped it open. One hand grabbed her breast, the other hand made its way down and slid into the small piece of underwear. Kiwi breathed in against his lips when she felt his fingers. She set her nails in his back, kissing him even more rough. Then, her hand followed the lines of his abs, down to his sweatpants. That made him even more heated in return and she almost could hear the click in his head.  
He lost it. But that was exactly what she wanted. She smiled to herself. If she knew he would react like this on sexy lingerie, she would've worn it earlier. He broke off the kiss, looking at her. His eyes were almost black, burning from desire. It took her breath away.  
Oh dear… He really lost it…

In one movement, he ripped off her underwear and quickly pulled down his pants. Then, he grabbed her legs and pulled her closer, laying her legs over his shoulders while pushing himself inside of her. Kiwi moaned in ecstasy. Finally. Vinnie bend forward, while moving slowly, but then he grabbed her by her hair and he kissed her again. Her legs were still over his shoulder and since he was bending over, Kiwi almost felt her knees touching her ears. But because of this, he only came deeper and the feeling it gave her was completely mind blown.  
Luckily, she was flexible.  
He moved up the pace, and set his teeth in her earlobe. Kiwi felt the familiar pressure building up again, and she bit back in his lip because of the overwhelming feeling. His hands were still weaved in her hair, pulling on it. It did hurt a little. But it somehow only made her even more heated. She moaned his name, setting her nails in his arms that were next to her body. Right before she reached her peak, he suddenly stopped. But before she could protest, he lifted her and pushed her against the wall with her back. She wrapped her legs around his waist again and he made his way inside again, leaning with one hand against the wall to support himself, the other hand was holding Kiwi.  
Kiwi looked into his eyes, his burning eyes. She saw one corner of his mouth curling into that arrogant smile before he pressed his lips on hers again. He moved faster and faster and they both tensed, both flushed by the wave of pleasure. He squeezed his eyes, softly growling her name. Kiwi held him tightly, her body was trembling from the wave. But slowly, they relaxed a little.  
Vinnie pressed his forehead against hers, looking at her, breathing heavily.=  
"You really should wear that more often, sweetheart", he whispered, his lips curled into a arrogant and pleased smile.  
Kiwi giggled.  
"Guess I should buy me a new one then, since you ripped this one apart. Never really knew you had a thing for sexy lingerie, love."  
"Me neither… But I do know now…"

Suddenly, they heard a click and the garage door slowly opened, the roaring engines from two bikes filling the room. They both froze.  
"Shit", Kiwi hissed and Vinnie almost had let her go.  
But there wasn't enough time. He realised getting caught was gonna be unavoidable, so it would be better if he stayed where he was, his back blocking the view of Kiwi's naked body. The only thing they could see, were her feet, wrapped in lace. And her head over his shoulder. Ah well, it could be worse...  
Kiwi tried to escape, but Vinnie pushed her against the wall, kissing her shortly but heated.  
"Don't move, sweetheart. Unless you want them to see you naked?", he whispered in her ear, biting her earlobe.  
Kiwi breathed in sharply. God, this mouse…  
She looked over his shoulder, straight into the faces of Throttle and Modo, who were still sitting on their bikes, a shocked look on their faces.  
"Oh, hey there!", Kiwi blurted out, a blush on her cheeks.  
God, this was awkward. And yet, the looks on their faces were priceless.  
Vinnie didn't look behind him, he just couldn't. Being caught by your bro's was not something he considered as cool.  
"Eh… hi?", he heard Modo saying, his normally low voice a few tones higher.  
He smiled against Kiwi's neck. Luckily, this wasn't only awkward for him and Kiwi.  
"We eh… we're back... Obviously... Yeah... Come on, big fella, let's get these groceries to the kitchen, they don't walk over there by themselves, now do they?"  
After a few scraping and cracking noises, followed by the sounds of fast walking footsteps, they were alone again.

Kiwi let out her breath, trying not to laugh. But when her gaze met Vinnie's, she started giggling. Soon, giggling became laughing and it didn't take long before she was laughing almost hysterical. But Vinnie had other plans. He was still inside her, after all. A mischievous grin appeared on his face and he slowly started moving again, making Kiwi stop laughing immediately.  
"Vinnie, stop, what if they come back?", she hissed, but it didn't sound that confident as she wanted.  
Vinnie smiled, grabbing her by her lower body.  
"Oh, so you want me to stop then?", he winked at her, but moving up the pace instead.  
Kiwi closed her eyes, grabbing his arms. She shook her head.  
"No, but this… this is just wrong…", she managed to get out.  
But Vinnie didn't want to hear it.  
"Ah come on, you know what they say, sweetheart. Having sex while risking to get caught makes it _even more fun_."  
The last words came out with a low voice, his eyes burning.  
Kiwi shook her head with a smile and completely surrendered to him. After all, who could fight logic like that?

A few days later, the mice were sitting in the kitchen, waiting for breakfast, when Kiwi slowly walked inside. She was holding an envelope in her hand and when she looked at the mice, they noticed she had a nervous look on her face.  
"What is it, Kiwi?", Throttle asked while the girl sat down at the table, staring at the envelope in her hands.  
"It's from Ruby... ", she said softly.  
Modo tensed. They still hadn't heard anything from the red headed woman since she had left the house that day. They had tried to call her like a thousand times, but she ignored them. It made him kinda angry, though. Why would she just walk away, without giving any explanation? Well, she gave them one. But it wasn't enough. You just don't walk in and out people's (or mice) life's like that. That's just not how these things worked.  
"What's it saying, Kiwi ma'am?", he asked, noticing his voice was a little shaky.  
Kiwi looked up at him, her eyes wide open.  
"I dunno… I haven't read it yet. I…", her voice broke a little, but she quickly recovered herself. "I can't help myself of getting the feeling she's saying goodbye… What if…", but Vinnie snatched the letter outta her hands, ripping it open in one movement.  
"Ugh, gimme that, sweetheart. Only one way to find out, right?", he said while opening the letter. A card fell out and landed on the table, but nobody paid attention to it. Kiwi did a weak attempt to grab the letter outta the white furred mouse his hands, but he pushed her away while starting to read the letter out loud.

" _Dear all,_

 _I write this letter to let you know I'm gonna go away for a while. After our last conversation, I've been doing a lot of thinking. And I now know; I don't belong here anymore._

 _Kiwi, I never told you about this, but I'm sure Modo has already informed you about what happened to my husband and son. Living without them in the same house, in the same town while having the same job… It's too much. It's a constant reminder of what I've lost. The reason I stayed, was you. Kiwi, you're like the daughter I never had. And I love you so much. Taking care of you after your parents died, was the best thing I've ever did. Without knowing it, you helped me with my grieve. With dealing with this immense loss. But now… Things are changed. Things are different. Why, you ask? Well, the answer to that is simple. The mice came into your life._

 _And it turned out that they're far more capable of helping you heal than I ever was. They gave you back the one thing you needed so badly, a family. For a while, I thought I had my own place in this little weird yet loving family. But I fooled myself. I don't belong there. And the reason for that is simple. They are soldiers. They are fighting a war. They have so much similarities with my husband, god, it's sometimes almost scary. But that isn't the biggest problem. The fact you want to join them, is.  
_ _I know what war can do to someone. War took away my husband and son. And I can't just sit around, watch and wait till this war is gonna take you away too. I just can't. Believe me, I wish I could. Because that would mean I could still be able to be a part of your life. It feels like I let you down, like I betray you. But if I'll stay, I'd betray myself. And that's unforgivable._ _Also, I want you to make your own choices. I want you to be a strong, independent woman, who knows what she wants and knows how to follow her heart. And I know this is what you want. Everything inside of me screams I need to stop you. But that would be selfish, right?  
_ _So, I decided to take a step back. I quit my job. I rented my house. Tomorrow, I'll fly to Aruba. I really need a long vacation.  
_ _I want you to know that I don't have hard feelings. That I still love you so much, with all my heart. That I do this, not only for myself, but also for you. You need to follow your own path now, without being held back. I know the mice will take good care of you. They love you. And I know they'll do everything to protect you._ _Modo…"_

Vinnie stopped, looking a little hesitant.  
"You really want me to read this out loud, big fella?", he asked, but Modo nodded. He didn't trust his own voice and reading it by himself, well…  
Vinnie wrinkled his nose. This was so not cool. Reading out loud how a woman was about to dump your bro, well…  
Throttle sighed and grabbed the letter outta Vinnie's hand.  
"Come here, I'll do it", and he took a deep breath.

" _Modo…_

 _Oh Modo, I'm so sorry. I really tried. I really care about you. But I can't do this anymore. I can't go through all that again. Besides, you deserve someone who truly loves you for who you are. Who is willing to go through fire for you. And that someone isn't me. We're too different. You're a soldier. And I'm the widow of a General, who lost his life way too early. But I will never forget about you. Never._

 _Vinnie, take good care of my girl. I know we didn't get along very well, but I know how much you care about her and I do trust you that you'll do everything to make her happy. If you don't… well, I still know some tricks with needles you're so not gonna like… You've been warned..._

 _Throttle, I know with me leaving, you guys are losing a doctor at the same time. I know someone who is reliable to take in my place. His name is Milo and his number is on the card that I send along with this letter. Don't hesitate to call him. I already told him he can expect a call from a friend of mine. I left out the fur and tail, no worries. That's up to you to explain. I know how important it is for you to keep your presence a secret. And maybe in the future, we can still do these test. You know, about how your brain works. I'm still interested._

 _This isn't a final goodbye. I'm sure we'll all meet again someday. I just don't know when. My thoughts are with you. The hardest part of ending is starting again. But Kiwi, you'll pull through. You're strong. You're just like your father. He would be so proud. Remember that._

 _Ruby."_

There was a silence for a moment. Of course, Vinnie broke it.  
"A trick with needles? Now that's just mean…", he mumbled, shaking his head in annoyance.  
But then his gaze landed on Kiwi. Who was staring at the table, her eyes filled with tears. Her hands clamping the edge of the tables with so much strength, her knuckles were white.  
"Ah man, sweetheart, come here…", he sighed and he pulled her in a tight hug.  
She wrapped her arms around him and started crying.  
"How can she just leave me? I mean… God…", she sobbed against his fur, making wet spots with her tears.  
Vinnie rubbed her back, resting his chin on her head. He had no idea what to say. What could he say? That he was relieved that that woman was gone? That he couldn't care less if she never returned? No, that would only make things worse. So, he just held her tightly, letting her cry. He knew how much Ruby meant for Kiwi. He could understand why was she was upset. But if you'd ask him, Ruby had made the right choice. For Kiwi.  
"You okay, big fella?", Throttle asked, looking concerned at his gray furred bro. But to his surprise, the big guy slowly nodded.  
"I eh… Yeah, I am, I guess… Sure, I'll miss her. But I just want her to be happy. And I gotta admit, that temper of hers… well, I'm not sure she's the right for me…"  
Vinnie chuckled, he just couldn't help it. He knew for sure that Ruby wasn't the right for him. She was way too feisty for his loving big bro. Not that he couldn't handle feisty, but this girl was just too much. He needed someone who appreciated his soft side, next to the badass soldier. And Ruby needed someone who wasn't afraid to stand up against her. After all, Modo was almost brainwashed by his momma about how to treat a lady. He would never get real angry at a woman. It would never work.

"Hey there, stranger", Carbine winked at him when the connection was made.  
It was late in the afternoon. Kiwi had been almost inconsolable after Ruby's letter that came in this morning, so, Modo had suggested to take her on a ride. Vinnie had agreed, of course, but Throttle had a appointment to call with Carbine, so he'd stayed behind.  
"Hey beautiful", he said lovingly, smiling at her. "How are things going over there?"  
Carbine's face darkened.  
"Not good. Water is rare and the few plants we have left, are dying. And that affects the wildlife that is left. In other words, Mars is dying, Throttle…"  
Carbine stared down for a moment, but then looked up with a determined look on her face.  
"But no way we're gonna give up. We'll keep fighting and one day, we'll win. And then, we will restore Mars", and she slammed her fist on the table, making the camera fall down. Throttle chuckled while looking how she put it back, softly cursing to herself.  
"Anyway, how are things on Earth?"  
This time it was Throttle's face that darkened.  
"A lot is happening. Our doctor left us. Kiwi wants to join the team, Modo…", but Carbine interrupted him.  
"Kiwi wants to join the team?", she hissed, her ears twitching.  
"Eh, yeah... ", Throttle slowly said, not sure why Carbine would react like this.  
"And what did you say?"  
"Well, that she could join, but that she needs training and… Why are you even asking this, Carbine?"  
"Well, lemme see who's in charge here… Oh, that would be _me._ You can't just add someone to your team without consulting me… lieutenant general..."  
"Oh Carbine, come on. You can skip the formalities. We're not in the army. She asked for a spot in the team, and we said yes. One; because it means a lot to her. Two; this is the only way to keep her outta trouble. Besides, it's not like she's gonna be a soldier who's gonna go out and fight. She's a computer wiz, Carbine. Look what she did! Without her, we weren't talking right now…"  
"But we _are_ talking. And I'm telling you, I don't want a girl who doesn't know how to stay outta trouble under my command. It's not gonna happen. And she's a human, no mouse!"  
"Well, it already happened. And she has already proven several times that she's a good gain for the team, human or not. Also, she saved our life multiple times. So I'm not sure I completely understand why you're so against it. If you want to use your rank, fine. I can do the same, because on Earth, I'm the one with the highest rank. And I made the call. It's done, Carbine. Don't get your tail in a knot because of this, it's not worth it…"  
But Carbine jumped at her feet, leaned forward and looked at him with fuming eyes.  
"I'm coming to Earth and I _will_ fix this, that is a promise!"  
"Carbine, wait, you're..."  
But she broke the connection. Throttle stared at the black screen for a moment.  
"Well… that escalated quickly..."

* * *

Oh my, pissed off woman alert! What will happen when Carbine lands on Earth? Can the mice, and with that I mean Throttle, convince her that Kiwi is a special human girl, and not like everyone else? That without her, they would've died right after they crashed on Earth? And why is Carbine so upset about this? Jealousy? Or does she feels passed by Throttle, because she's the General? Hmmm…

So, I can imagine some of you are sad about Ruby leaving. But it just didn't made any sense that she was gonna stick around, watching how Kiwi gets more and more involved into this war. Also, I kept having a really hard time to write about her and Modo. They just don't fit. Modo needs someone who's softer than Ruby. And don't you worry you guys, I already know exactly how to make that happen. That's all I'm gonna say. For now. You'll find out soon enough. And like Ruby said, this isn't final goodbye. But the poor girl needs a break.

I also was thinking about why Kiwi always gets herself into trouble. Thinking back at the series, Charley got into trouble because the mice didn't listen to her, most of the time that is. So, she went by herself on a mission. I just thought, if they are gonna acknowledge her place in the team, Kiwi don't feel the need to do things on her own. And she also is so desperate to belong somewhere. So, there ya go. The perfect solution. And a little training in how to defend herself will only do her some good.

Soooo, thanks for reading my story, feel free to review, very much appreciated. :)

Later guys, till next time!


	41. Chapter 40

Thank  
You  
So  
Much  
For  
The  
Reviews!

Love you all!

Barpon: Thanks for your advice and your very kind words, I really appreciate it. I feel like a stubborn teenager when I say: but… But I'm still gonna do it. ;)  
I do re read my chapters, mostly like four times. Most of the chapters are written a week before updating so they do have some time to breath. But still, the small typo's are very hard to find sometimes, especially with my focus and concentration being affected by medication. I sure hope it's not too annoying while reading my story. Again, I really appreciate your advice!

As for the rest (and also for Barpon of course); Thank you so much for your kind words, for your support and for taking the time with almost every chapter to write a review. Really, without you guys this story wouldn't have come this far. Can you believe it's already has 450 pages? And over 250k words? It's amazing. Thank you guys so much.

Well, let's get continue the story. The arrival of General Carbine. Oh dear, shit is about to get real.  
I had a real struggle with writing this chapter, DAMN YOU huge ass writers block, but thank the holy Mothers of Mars, it's finished!

Enjoy, hope you guys like it! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty**

Throttle was sitting in the yard, staring at the blue sky, deep in thoughts. The heat was doable today and Throttle needed some fresh air. So, he'd taken place on the lounge set that was standing in the shadow closeby the house. His heart was racing in his chest. Only one thought kept haunting him.  
 _What will happen when Carbine set foot on Earth?  
_ He sighed heavily, trying to keep his calm. But even for him, that was hard. This was gonna be a disaster and he had no idea with how many consequences. And on top of it all… He had absolutely no control over it.  
"Hey bro, we're back", he suddenly heard Modo's heavy voice from behind him.  
He looked up surprised. He'd been so deep in thoughts, he hadn't even heard the engines of the bikes of his bro's.  
Vinnie jumped over the back of the couch and dropped next to Throttle.  
"Hey there, fearless leader. How was your talk with your lovah lovah? Did you clean the camera afterwards?", he teased his tan furred bro.  
Throttle rolled his eyes, but said nothing. That concerned Kiwi, who sat down next to Vinnie.  
"You okay, Throttle? You look… worried…"  
The tan furred mouse took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. That simple movement allermed them all. Something was wrong.  
Very wrong.  
Modo, who was sitting on his other side, shared a worried look with Kiwi.  
Vinnie studied his bro.  
"Yeah, what's eating ya, bro? Carbine didn't kiss ya back or something?"  
Throttle put his glasses back on, clearly annoyed.  
"Well, now you mention it, _Vincent_ … She didn't."  
Vinnie heard the sharp tone in his voice and looked at Modo.  
' _Poor guy'_ , he mouthed at his gray furred bro, who shook his head and gave him a warning look before his gaze landed back on Throttle again.  
"You better just tell us what's wrong, bro. As my old gray furred momma used to say; never hold back bad news, it only makes things worse. Just spit it out, like you rip off a band aid. Because I know you bro, and you do have some bad news to tell… Is it… about Rimfire?", he added hesitantly, in fight with himself if he even wanna know the answer.  
Throttle jerked upright, giving himself a huge inner scolding. Dammit, grab yourself together and just tell them. Modo was right, he needed to spit it out, they were living in a war, for fuck sake. No wonder Modo was scared something may have been happened to his nephew. Stupid move, Throttle. This was no time to hold things back.  
"No, no, no, Rimfire is fine, don't worry, big fella. It's about Carbine. She's on her way to Earth as we speak."  
" _WHAT_? Ah _man_! You've gotta be kidding me!", Vinnie blurted out, but Throttle held up his hand to stop him.  
"That's not all. She eh… She's not really _amused_ by the fact that we made Kiwi part of the team…"  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes in confusion.  
"What? Why?"  
Throttle threw his hands in the air in frustration.  
"I really have no idea. I told her what happened and she just… well, she made herself very clear she wasn't happy with it."  
"Oh come on! Knowing Carbine, you probably mean; she's not just _'not amused'_ , but on her way to Earth like a nuclear mass destruction missile that's gonna wipe out whole civilization", Vinnie exclaimed.  
"What? Jesus, Vin, you really _are_ good in exaggerating, aren't you?", Throttle snapped at him, but Vinnie had already seen the look on his leaders face. And he knew that look. He was too familiar with it.  
The General was angry.  
"Am I right?"  
Throttle tensed, but then let out his breath in defeat.  
"Yeah. She's pissed, man."  
"Man… Really something to look forward to, Carbine on a murder mission. Such a good vibe for the ambiance. Ugh, what is wrong with that woman?"  
Throttle jumped at his feet so fast, Vinnie only just realized it when the tan furred mouse grabbed him by the bandana and pulled him closer, his snout almost touching Vinnie's.  
"I know you and Carbine have a history, but that _woman_ is still _my_ girl. Have a little respect, _bro_ …", he hissed between clenched teeth.  
Vinnie knew he was on dangerous grounds now. Throttle didn't get angry that easily, but beware for the ones who mess with his girl. You do that, you mess with him. Vinnie knew that all too well by now. He'd found out the hard way. And somewhere deep down in his with adrenaline overwhelmed brain, he could understand the guy stood up for his girl. Heck, he would do the same.  
But this was Carbine they were talking about. The mouse who had 'Ice Queen' as a nickname. Vinnie hated her. And he hated to see what she was doing to his bro. The guy deserved better. Much better. But he didn't say all of this. Although many wouldn't agree, he _did_ have some self preservation. He knew he had to stand down, otherwise he was gonna get his ass kicked. Not that he couldn't handle that. I mean, come on. He was Vinnie van Wham, after all. But he'd learned the hard way that fighting about this wasn't gonna solve anything. It would only cause Throttle ignoring him for days.  
And if there was one thing he hated, next to cheese, it was being ignored. So, he raised his hands in defeat.  
"Okay, okay, chill bro. Geez… Before you give yourself a heart attack, man", he sighed, but his fur bristled.  
Throttle let him go and Vinnie adjusted his bandana, his tail giving away his annoyance.  
Kiwi was watching the scene with growing worry. What the hell was going on here?  
Modo cleared his throat.  
"Throttle, you happen to know why she's so upset? I mean, I don't get it… I thought we could use all the help we need..."  
Vinnie opened his mouth, really, it was a reflex, but Kiwi pulled his tail to stop him. He let out a yelp and gave her a angry glare, but did manage to keep his mouth shut.  
"I was curious about that too", she added, now looking at Throttle.  
"To be honest, I have no idea… My guts are telling me she's angry because I didn't ask for her opinion first and took the decision on my own. Well, with you guys, of course. But without consulting her first."  
Modo had a thoughtful frown on his face.  
"Okay… So, she feels like we passed her?"  
"Maybe… Look, I really have no idea, she suddenly yelled she was coming to Earth and broke the connection. I guess we'll just have to wait and see when she gets here."  
Kiwi was still confused.  
"But… I thought you guys weren't in the army, but fighting this war from a rebellious resistance? How is it she's having so much power?"  
"Oh hell no, we're no army! Never been and never will be", Vinnie opened his mouth again. He crossed his arms before his chest.  
"But our beloved Carbine is taking her job as a General very serious. A little too serious, if you ask me. I mean, we're the _Freedom Fighters_. We fight for _freedom_. And I prefer to do that _in_ freedom, without being treated as if we're some dumbass soldiers whose only job is to follow up orders without asking questions. If I wanted that, I would've joined the army, for fuck sake. But the army fell apart during the war, no surprise there, suckers, and joined the Freedom Fighters. Which was a good thing, 'cause we needed the numbers. But Stoker put Carbine in charge for the moments he was busy with other things, god knows what... Big mistake."  
The last two words just slipped out and he quickly looked at Throttle, but the tan furred mouse chose to ignore it.  
"So, where is Stoker now?", Kiwi asked.  
"Last I heard he's a prisoner in a Plutarkian work camp. Rimfire and his team are working on a plan to get him out. But till then, Carbine is the one who gives the orders. Look, no matter what everybody is saying about her, she is a good leader. Despite her temperament, she already did a lot of good things for the Fighters and for Mars", Throttle explained.  
Vinnie snorted, but said nothing.  
Modo shrugged.  
"Well, all we can do is wait and see, just like you already said, bro. When she's gonna be here?"  
Throttle thought about it for a moment, making a few calculations in his head.  
"My guess, tomorrow morning."  
"Fine. Vinnie, come on. We're gonna go for another ride", Modo ordered and rose on his feet.  
Vinnie looked at him, a little puzzled, not sure why the gray furred giant was proposing that.  
Modo saw the doubt on his white furred bro's face, but knew exactly how to get him into motion.  
"I still want a rematch for that time you won in the sand dunes by foul play", he pointed out casually while walking to his bike. A white blur flew past him, cheering loudly. Modo shook his head with a smile. So easily to convince, that white furred younger bro of them.

Kiwi watched them go and looked at Throttle, confusion written on her face.  
"What just happened here?"  
"I guess Modo wants Vinnie to blow off some more steam before Carbine arrives. Ya know, so he's not _that_ hyped up."  
Kiwi bit her lower lip, not sure if she could ask this. But fuck it.  
"Look, I know what happened to Carbine's niece. I know that gave a lot of trouble. But is that really the reason why he doesn't like Carbine? And why Carbine doesn't like him?"  
"It's one of the many reasons. You need to understand; Vinnie is the complete opposite of Carbine. Carbine expects discipline and obedience. Vinnie, of course, lacks those two character traits, as you know too well by now. I personally think it's because Carbine wants to have control. And she can't control Vinnie. And that's driving her crazy. And she somehow refuses to see that all Vinnie wants is to be treated with respect, getting the recognition he so desperately needs from time to time. He can be a huge pain in the ass, but he's loyal. Once you've earned his loyalty, he's really not that hard to control. And he's a great soldier. One of the best. Don't tell him I said that", he smiled at Kiwi, who smiled back. "Look, I don't wanna say that it's all Carbine's fault, because that's not true. Vinnie did nothing to earn her respect either. He disobeys her, to a certain level that is, but still… Well, a lot has happened in the years we were living on the base with each other. I don't think they ever are gonna get along."  
The last part came out a little sad. Kiwi took his hand.  
"It must be hard for you, to stand between them."  
"You have no idea, babe. I tried everything to make sure they were at least able to be in the same room without blowing each others heads off, and that worked for a while. But then the whole thing with Carbine's niece happened, Vinnie who doesn't know when to stop pushing her… To be honest, I just don't know how to get this fixed anymore. I can't talk about it with Vinnie, because that always ends up with broken furniture or worse and Carbine, well.. they're both stubborn as hell. And now she's on her way over here... "  
"So ehm… Am I still gonna have a house when this is all over?", Kiw asked, trying to sound nonchalant while studying her fingernails.  
Throttle chuckled, despite his worries.  
"I hope so, babe. But let me promise you this; I'll do everything in my power to let this whole thing go smooth and subtle. I just hope it's gonna be enough…"  
Kiwi heard the doubt in his voice.  
Oh boy….  
Maybe Vinnie's right. Maybe Carbine was a nuclear mass destruction missile. Hmmm... This was gonna be very unpleasant.

Kiwi couldn't sleep. That had two reasons, actually.  
One; she was nervous because of Carbine's visit.  
Two; she still was upset because of Ruby's sudden leaving.  
She slid outta bed. Sleeping was clearly outta the question right now. She quickly put on some clothes and tiptoed down the stairs. The whole house was silent. She could hear the crickets twitter loudly outside and she decided to go take a look in the guesthouse. She opened the door in the kitchen and walked outside. It was still warm outside, even at night. It was crazy, this whole heatwave thing. But at least the airco still worked. Sometimes Vinnie's temper tantrums were kinda coming in handy.  
She sneaked into the guesthouse, pricking her ears when she was inside. She could hear Modo snore, even from here. God, it was so loud. How the others could sleep with all that noise was a mystery to her, alright. She tiptoed to Throttle's room and softly opened the door.  
The tan furred mouse was deeply asleep, lying on his side, snoring softly. The sheets were loosely wrapped around his body, his tail peeping out as a lifeless snake. Kiwi smiled and closed the door. Modo was still snoring loud, so she skipped his room. It was obvious he was asleep.  
Before she opened Vinnie's room, she suddenly remembered what Throttle had said. Waking up a soldier with trauma could be dangerous.  
But, after a small hesitation, she opened the door and walked inside. A smile appeared on her face when she saw the white furred mouse lying upside down, his feet where his pillow used to be, but was now lying on the floor, so were the sheets. He was lying on his belly, in his characteristic sea fish position. She just stood there for a moment, watching him sleep. Should she wake him up? She wasn't sure. After looking at him for a while, she made a decision.  
She grabbed the sheets and the pillow and threw it on the bed. Vinnie stirred and let out a soft growl while turning on his side. But he didn't wake up. She quickly took off some of her clothes and crawled next to him, the feeling of his soft fur under her fingers already calming her nerves. Vinnie froze for a moment, but then wrapped his strong arm around her waist and pulled her against his strong torso. His tail wrapped around her ankle and he buried his nose in her hair, letting out his breath. Kiwi smiled and closed her eyes. It didn't took long before she was asleep too.

The next morning, Kiwi woke up because of movement next to her. She opened her eyes and saw Vinnie standing on the bed, looking outside.  
"Hey there, macho mouse. Whatcha doing?", Kiwi yawned, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms after that. Vinnie turned around and looked down at her with a grin.  
"I could ask you the same thing, doll. If I remember it right, I was alone when I went to sleep."  
He dropped down next to her and kissed her.  
"Not that I mind waking up next to you", he whispered against her lips.  
Kiwi wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. But she suddenly heard a loud noise outside, it sounded like the engine of a plane.  
She froze.  
Vinnie felt it and ruffled through her hair.  
"Oh, right. I can proudly announce to you that the holy General Carbine has arrived", he said sarcastic, his ears twitching.  
"Oh… Maybe we should stay here. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this talk…"  
Vinnie grinned.  
"Ain't gonna happen, pretty lady. No worries, I got your back."  
Kiwi buried her nose in his fur, holding him tightly. But Vinnie untangled himself and gently pushed her head up with a finger under her chin. She looked up into his twinkling eyes. How the hell could he be so cheerful on a day like this?  
"Come on, cover that beautiful body of yours. The General expects us."  
He said the last sentence with a low voice, his eyes fuming for a moment. Ah, so he wasn't that cheerful at all. He probably pretended to be, to calm her nerves. But he was hyped up, she could tell. She saw it in his eyes.  
"Vinnie, uhm…", she started, but she had no idea what to say.  
What could she say? That she wanted him to stay calm? That he needed to behave? As if that would help. Throttle tried that for years now. Besides, this was something between him and Carbine. She didn't wanted to be that meddlesome and bossy girlfriend. Vinnie looked up while pulling on his sweatpants.  
"What, sweetheart?"  
"... Never mind. Just try to make sure my house is still standing after all this, okay?", she quickly said, while sliding off his bed.  
"Sure thing…", he answered absently.  
Kiwi watched him while pulling on her own clothes, seeing how the sweatpants was hanging low around his hips and felt a tingle in her belly.  
Vinnie saw her looking and smiled that crooked arrogant smile she loved so much.  
"Enjoying the view, sweetheart?", and he wiggled his eyebrows.  
Kiwi suddenly figured this maybe could be a way out and she smiled back seductively, waving her eyelashes.  
"Well, now you mention it… I do…"  
Vinnie's eyes became darker for a moment, but he quickly recovered.  
"Nice try. Come on, let's go. I know, despite everything, Throttle wants us to be there. And you really don't wanna piss that guy off, trust me."  
He grabbed her hand and dragged her outside with him. Throttle and Modo were already standing closeby the grass, looking at the big ship that was now turning off its engines, giving a welcome silence in return.  
"Morning, bros. What a lovely way to start the day, ain't it?", Vinnie asked when they joined them, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
Throttle looked next to him, at Vinnie who was only wearing his sweatpants. He was holding Kiwi's hand, who also only wore a small pyama thing/outfit. He lifted one eyebrow and just when he wanted to ask how it was even possible they both came outta the guesthouse at the same time, the loading dock slowly opened.  
He turned his gaze back on the ship, his breathing fastened. Slowly, she came into view and there she was.  
Carbine.  
He felt his heart made a jump in his chest and he suddenly forgot everything and everyone around him.  
Despite the reason she was here, he was still so happy to see her. He felt his lips curling into a big smile, he just couldn't stop it. Finally, he had the chance to hold her in his arms again. He started to walk closer to her, when another mouse popped up next to her, making him stop death in his tracks.  
She hadn't told him she was gonna bring company.  
The mouse next to Carbine was also female, but smaller than Carbine. Her fur had the colour of honey, same as the long hair that was waving in curls over her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and clear, looking back at him from behind glasses, making her eyes even a little bit bigger. The outfit she was wearing had the same colours as Carbine's, making clear she belonged to the Freedom Fighters. But Throttle had never seen her before. And by the looks on his bros faces, they hadn't either.  
Throttle recovered himself and walked closer to the ship, his bros and Kiwi hanging back.  
"Carbine…", he said softly, still that smile on his face.  
Carbine was still standing on the loading dock, a stern look on her face. But that soon changed. No matter how angry she was, seeing Throttle standing in front of her, alive and kicking, also brought a big smile on her face.  
"Hey there, stranger. Missed me?", she winked at him, walking closer.  
Throttle spread his arms and finally… _finally_ he was holding her again. His heart made another jump and he wrapped his arms around her, sniffing up her lovely scent. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the pure happiness of this reunion.  
"You have no idea…", he said softly.  
Then, he looked down at her. Into her beautiful brown eyes, who looked back at him, twinkling from joy. He gave her a little smile before pressing his lips on hers. A shiver went through his whole body. God, he had missed her so much. And he was so glad that, despite their differences, she was clearly also very happy to see him.  
Modo and Vinnie elbowed each other, whooping at their bro.  
Throttle smiled against Carbine's lips and gently broke off the kiss.  
"Welcome to Earth, babe", he whispered, his voice even more husky.  
Carbine smiled and touched his cheek.  
"Thanks, gorgeous."  
Throttle let her go in reluctance, knowing it was time for someone to introduce herself. He looked at the honey coloured furred female, who was now standing behind Carbine.  
It was as if Carbine only just now realized she'd brought someone with her.  
"Right! Throttle, meet Amira. Amira, meet Throttle."  
Amira raised her hand and Throttle shook it, surprised by the firm grip.  
"It's nice to meet you. I heard a lot of things about you and your friends and yes, only good things", and she smiled at him. Her voice sounded like Christmas bells.  
"Can't say the same thing about you, ma'am", Throttle answered polite. "But before you tell me who you are…", and he turned around, signing to Modo, Vinnie and Kiwi to join them.  
Modo walked closer with a firm step, followed by Vinnie who almost needed to drag Kiwi with him.  
"This is Modo", Throttle pointed at the gray furred giant who now was standing at his right. "Modo, this is Amira."  
"Nice to meet you, Amira ma'am", Modo answered, nodding at the small female mouse. Then, he looked at the light gray furred General.  
"Carbine ma'am, it's good to see you", he smiled.  
Carbine smiled back and patted the big mouse on the arm.  
"Good to see you too, big guy."  
Throttle would've made a vow before he continued, if he was a religious mouse, that is. But he wasn't. Let's just hope for the best.  
"And this is…"  
"Vinnie van Wham, baddest mamma jammer for this side of the asteroid belt, the Velocity Atrocity. An honour, I'm sure", and he winked at Amira.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile that curled her lips. Honestly….  
Amira was staring at Vinnie for a moment, obviously not sure what to say. Throttle quickly used this moment to take the attention away from Vinnie.  
"And this is Kiwi."  
Kiwi nodded at Amira, who was now staring at her. Probably the first time she sees a human, Kiwi thought.  
"Amira is our biologist, and she insisted to come with me on this mission. I'll explain later", Carbine said almost toneless, looking at Kiwi.  
Kiwi grabbed Vinnie's hand without thinking, a blush on her face. Well, this was awkward. The look in Carbine's eyes made her feel very small all of a sudden.  
Damn, she could understand why she was a General and why people listened to her without blinking. She probably could let a cow sing "Jingle Bells" by only using that look.  
Carbine's gaze lowered and landed on their entwined hands.  
Kiwi could feel Vinnie tense and she quickly let go off his hand.  
"Why don't we go inside and talk there?", she blurted out.  
Carbine put her chin in the air, but then nodded. Kiwi was already on her way, almost running away from that horrible moment. How was it even possible that she stood up against this woman back then on Mars? Well, that was kinda in the heat of the moment. But now… This was different.  
Ah man…. This was gonna be a loooong day.

Carbine and Amira were staring at their plates with pancakes. Kiwi smiled, this was a deja vu, alright. They had the same suspicious, almost scared, expression on their faces as the guys back then, when they first saw a pancake. But when the girls saw the guys enjoying theirs, they hesitantly took a bite. Amira smiled when she swallowed.  
"This is amazing. What is it?"  
"They call it a pancake, Amira ma'am", Modo answered. "It's typical Earth food."  
Amire nodded enthusiastic, taking another bite.  
Carbine said nothing and she even had a slightly arrogant look on her face while eating the pancake.  
Kiwi was playing with the food on her plate, not hungry at all. Vinnie saw it and pointed at her pancakes.  
"Are you gonna eat that, sweetheart?", he mumbled with his mouth full.  
Kiwi sighed and shove the plate towards the white furred mouse, who stuffed another pancake in his already full mouth. Kiwi quickly glanced at Carbine, who was rolling her eyes.  
"I see some things never change", Carbine said with a disgust look on her face while watching the white furred mouse eat, or maybe better said, gormandizing his breakfast.  
Vinnie quickly swallowed his bite and let out a burp.  
"Guess so. Looking at you, know so", he answered, a challenging look on his face.  
"What's that supposed to mean?", Carbine snarled back.  
"You're still that cold hearted bitch since the last time I saw you. No offence…", he added with a arrogant smirk.  
Amira breathed in sharply, looking in shock at the white furred mouse.  
Modo squeezed the bridge of his nose.  
"Here we go…"  
Carbine clenched her fists, but Throttle intervened.  
"Vincent, stop talking. Carbine, chill. You know how he is."  
"What? I said; no offence!", Vinnie protested, but then continued his breakfast after one more glare at Carbine.  
Carbine took a deep breath, probably trying not to let Vinnie get under her skin. But Kiwi could see it took her a lot of strength to hold herself back.  
"Anyway. Amira, how did you end up with the Freedom Fighters?", Throttle quickly asked to change the subject. He knew a explosion between these two was unavoidable, but the least he could try was to buy them some time. Maybe, just maybe, this whole mess would be forgotten.  
 _HA_. Who was he kidding?  
"Well, before the war, I worked for the government as a biologist. Me and my team protected the wildlife and fauna on Mars while doing research. We let the nature take its own course, but intervened when necessary. Mainly to save species from extinction. When the war started, I was protected by the army and tried to my job as far as the war let me, but eventually, the army needed all their manpower to fight against the Plutarkians and the plants were the least of their concern. I disappeared for a while, lived under the ground with a few mice. It was safe. But after a while, I was starting to feel useless. And I hate to be useless. Right at that point, I ran into Stoker while going out for some fresh air. He told me about the Freedom Fighters and I offered my services as biologist. I mean, someone needs to protect the planet's wildlife and fauna. If this war is over, we need to rebuilt. And we can't rebuilt a planet that is completely dead."  
"Interesting. And why did insisted to come with Carbine to Earth?", Throttle asked curious. This girl was no fighter, he could tell. There must be another reason.  
Amira's face darkened.  
"The reason I came along is because of the Martian Squirrel Bat. They're vital to the Martian ecosystem, and they survive by eating the Martian Pink Seed. But the plant is gone. Destroyed by the Plutarkians. And now, there are only a few Squirrel Bats left. If they extinct, Mars is done."  
"So?", Vinnie asked, a little bored, slurping at his rootbeer.  
"So, I heard there is a Martian Pink Seed plant here on Earth", Amira answered patiently.  
"What? How is that even possible?" Modo almost spit out his root beer in surprise.  
"Limburger has one in his museum."  
"That stink breath has his own museum?", Vinnie asked surprised. They never knew.  
"Yeah, Rimfire heard about it when he was captured in the tower", Amira explained.  
The guys shared a look.  
"Well, then I guess we need to go grab that plant, right boys?", Throttle smiled.  
"Hero time!" and Vinnie jumped at his feet, but Carbine shook her head.  
"Later. First, I wanna talk about something else…", and she looked at Kiwi, who shrunk a little.  
"Ah man, such a buzzkill", Vinnie moaned while dropping back on his seat, his tail twitching. "You're right, some things do never change…", he added, glaring at Carbine, who decided to ignore him. She was still looking at Kiwi, her eyes narrowed. Kiwi braced herself.  
Here we go…  
"So you think you have what it takes to join the Freedom Fighters?", Carbine asked, a patronizing tone in her voice.  
Kiwi slowly nodded, not sure what to say. She still had no idea why the General was acting so hostile.  
"You're a human. You can't ride a bike. You can't fight. You know nothing about war, strategy… It's pathetic, really."  
Kiwi froze.  
"Carbine, please… I already explained why Kiwi is a good gain for the team. She even made it possible to make contact with Mars… I mean, doesn't that alone give the girl enough credits?", Throttle protested, not liking the way Carbine was talking to Kiwi. What was wrong with her?  
"Well, maybe if she was a mouse? But come on, guys. This isn't even her war. Everybody in the Freedom Fighters has a story, a story that makes sure they're devoted to this war. What's hers? Besides being Vinnie's little slut, that is."  
Kiwi's eyes grew big and she jumped at her feet, but Vinnie stopped her by pushing her back on her seat. He looked at Carbine, his eyes fuming.  
"What did you just say?", he asked. His voice was so low, it sounded more like a growl.  
Kiwi felt goosebumps by hearing it.  
"Guys, come on…", Modo started, but Vinnie ignored him, still staring at Carbine, who looked back with a very smugly smile on her face.  
"I must have hit a sore spot here... ", she said softly.  
"What is your problem?", Kiwi suddenly blurted out, anger slowly clouding her vision.  
Carbine gave Vinnie one more look before she turned to Kiwi.  
"You are my problem. Look, I really appreciate what you did, to make it able that Throttle and I can talk now. But that doesn't make you a soldier, you know?"  
"Why are you so against it? And I never said I was a soldier, I wanna join because I can do other things, things with computers. Just like your biologist over there, who also joined the Fighters with another purpose than fighting!", Kiwi snapped, pointing at Amira who looked as if she just wanted to vanish into thin air, right here, right now.  
"Please, leave me out of this…", she mumbled and she quickly stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna go check on that Squirrel Bat", and she almost ran outta the kitchen.  
"She's a mouse. You're human", Carbine stated.  
"Well, thanks, Captain Obvious. But that's still no answer to my question. Why are you so angry and why are you so against me joining the team? Please, do tell, because I have no idea!"  
Carbine clenched her fists and Vinnie tensed, ready to jump into action if Carbine only though so much about touching Kiwi.  
"One. You're a human. Humans are weak, fragile and not to be trusted. Two. You're with Vinnie and I made a promise to myself that no girl is gonna get heartbroken under my watch because of that white furred so called Don Juan. That almost sounds as if I wanna protect you, but that's not the case here. I wanna make sure that this time, I did everything to avoid another girl is gonna kill herself because of him. Three. You're stubborn, hot-tempered and you have a big mouth. I already have to deal with one Vinnie, two is gonna be too much. Four. No one ever asked me for my opinion…"  
"Geez, I wonder why", Vinnie snarled, clearly not amused by the fact how she was talking about him.  
Did she really now just blamed him for Rose her death? What the...  
"... and five… You flirted with my guy!"  
Kiwi's jaw fell open. Well, she definitely didn't see that one coming.

Throttle looked at Carbine, a confused look on his face.  
"What? What the hell are you talking about, Carbine?"  
Carbine took a deep breath to calm herself a little and looked back at him.  
"You remember that video that was send by Brie? I never got the chance to watch it till the end, until a few days ago. I saw her, hugging you, touching you…"  
Vinnie burst out into laughter, he just couldn't help it. Not because he was having the time of his life right now, but because he just couldn't believe his oversized ears. Everybody turned their heads to look at him. He took a few breaths before he looked at Carbine.  
"Wauw, and here I was, thinking you couldn't sink any lower. You ever heard of being friends? Nah, don't answer that. Of course you don't."  
Carbine narrowed her eyes, but Throttle quickly grabbed her hand.  
"Babe, I would never do anything behind your back. Besides, I love you. I also love Kiwi, but as a sister… Don't doubt my love for you. Ever."  
"I don't doubt you, babe. I just don't trust her."  
"Carbine ma'am, I just wanna say something here…", Modo intervened. "Kiwi ma'am has done a lot for us since we crashed here. A few times even saved our tails. Without her, we would be dead by now. After all the things we went through, we grew closer to each other. We're like this little family. She's like a sister."  
"A sister, huh?", Carbine asked with a cold voice, looking at Vinnie. "Right…"  
"Well, she is to me and Throttle", Modo said unperturbed.  
Carbine looked back at Kiwi, who looked back challenging. Gone was the fear. There was only anger left. Frustration. Pain. Nobody ever talked about her like that. And although she would never say it out loud, it made her heart sore. It somehow confirmed her thoughts she always had about herself. The thoughts that slowly had made their way to the back of her mind since the mice were here. But now they were back, as if they never went away. She was weak. A nobody. She was better of dead…  
"Okay, I will give you the benefit of the doubt about flirting with my guy and I'm truly grateful for what you did for them. But you're not gonna join the team and that's final."  
"Babe…", Throttle said softly.  
"As if we listen to any word you're saying. She's already part of the team, whether you like it or not. And we're gonna stay here, fight our fight with Limburger, with Kiwi by our side. And _that's_ final", Vinnie stated.  
Carbine's eyes spit fire and she jumped at her feet.  
"For once, you're gonna do as I say, Vincent, or…", but Vinnie slammed his fist on the table and also jumped at his feet.  
"Do NOT call me Vincent! You have no right, you hear me?", he growled, his ears flat next his head in fury.  
They were both leaning forward over the table, staring threatening at each other.  
"Vincent…Carbine...", Throttle started, but it was too late.  
Carbine grabbed Vinnie in his neck and slammed his head against the table, pushing him down.  
"Now you listen to me…", she started, but Vinnie exploded.  
He wrapped his tail around her wrist of the arm that was holding him and squeezed with so much strength, Carbine had no other choice than to let go. Vinnie pushed himself up and launched himself on the General in one movement. They both fell on the floor and after a short struggling, Carbine ended on her back with Vinnie on top of her. The white furred mouse was overwhelmed with anger, a red haze in front of his eyes. He clenched his fist and raised it.  
Forgotten was his promise to himself to never hit a woman.  
"Vinnie, NO!", Kiwi yelled, knowing this was only gonna make things worse. She ran closer to them, avoiding Modo's grabbing arms when he wanted to catch her to make her stop.  
Vinnie froze for a moment and Carbine immediately took advantage of it. She wiggled to get loose, pulling her legs up and set her feet against Vinnie's chest. She pushed him away and the white furred mouse landed on his back, but before he could stand up, Carbine was standing next to him and planted her right foot between his legs, without giving too much pressure at first. Vinnie stopped moving, and looked up at her, breathing heavily. Carbine looked back at him with a triumphant smile on her face and slowly shifted her weight to the foot that was still parked in Vinnie's balls.  
"Now, if you still wanna use that one thing you always follow without thinking, you better start listening to me. I…", but she suddenly felt someone pulling on her arm. She turned around, a surprised look on her face when she looked straight into the face of a very upset human girl.  
"Keep your filthy paws of my guy!", Kiwi growled, before she tried to hit Carbine in the face.  
But Carbine saw it coming and ducked. That movement caused more pressure on her foot and Vinnie moaned in pain. That made Kiwi even more angry and she pushed the General with all her strength. It maybe didn't let her fall on the floor, but she needed to let Vinnie go to avoid she was. Kiwi ran towards her, her teeth clenched and Carbine raised her hands to stop her, but hit Kiwi full in the face in the process. The human girl's head snapped back and she fell on the floor, knock out.

"No, Kiwi!", Vinnie called out and he crawled to his girl. He quickly checked her, but by the looks of things, she was only out cold. Blood was dripping out her nose, her front teeth had made a cut in her lower lip and was also bleeding. Vinnie looked up at Carbine, pure hatred in his eyes.  
"Why you…", but Carbine raised her hands again.  
"Vinnie, I'm sorry, I didn't do that on purpose, I…", she stuttered, a defeated look on her face.  
Vinnie jumped at his feet, but this time Modo intervened. He grabbed the white furred mouse and stopped him before he could do something he knew he was gonna regret later on. Vinnie struggled to get loose, but Modo held him without too much effort.  
"Happy now?", Vinnie snapped at her, giving up his fight to get out Modo's hands. He knew he was never gonna win that.  
"I already told you, it was an accident, I wanted to stop her, but…"  
"But she just ran into your fist, right!", Vinnie snarled.  
"That's enough!"  
Throttle's husky voice echoed against the walls. The tan furred mouse stepped between Carbine and Vinnie.  
"You guys are acting like two goddamn kids. Why, for fuck sake why, can't you two at least _TRY_ to get along? This is _ridiculous_!"  
Vinnie stared at the floor, almost hanging in Modo's arms. Throttle almost never cursed. He was mad alright. Yeah well, then he should've put that girlfriend of his on a leash, god dammit.  
"Throttle, I'm sorry, I…", Carbine started softly, but Throttle shook his head.  
"I don't wanna hear it. Look, I know you're our General, and it was never my intention to give you the feeling your opinion doesn't matter to me, because it does, but this is one decision I made on my own. I think I deserve that trust. Kiwi belongs to us now, and that's final. Believe me when I say she has enough good reasons to fight this war with us. She lost her parents because of the Plutarkians, next to the part they're trying to do the same to Earth as they did to Mars. You said it yourself; where the Plutarkians go, we go. To stop them. Stop letting your own problems clouding your judgement. We can use all the help we can get. We need to fight this war _together_ , side by side and not _with_ each other!"  
Carbine let out her breath, knowing he was right. She'd crossed a line. That somehow happened a lot when she was around Vinnie. He knew exactly how to get under her skin. She hated his guts, but he was a good soldier, she knew he was. The Freedom Fighters needed him. Throttle needed him. And truth to be told,she didn't even tried to get along with him indeed. Not that Vinnie tried either. But someone needed to be the adult here. But that was hard. This was personal. He'd messed with her niece, who was now dead, because she couldn't carry her pain anymore. And that was on him. She knew it was on him. And that wasn't the only thing he did. But everything else looked so small compared to what he did to Rose.  
But she was projecting her anger on the wrong person. She looked at Kiwi, who was still lying on the floor. Even if she was Vinnie's girl, she deserved a honest chance. Even if she was human. And no fighter. But she had enough fighting spirit, she could tell. And she was smart. Throttle was right. She could be a good gain for the team. She just wished she wasn't with Vinnie. But she was. So, that's something she just has to deal with.  
She suddenly realized what Vinnie's reaction was when she, accidentally, hit his girl. The look on his face… Hmmm… Maybe she was more to him than just a fling. Maybe…  
"You're right. I let my emotions take over, that was wrong. It won't happen again", Carbine said to Throttle, who nodded at her. Then, his gaze landed on Vinnie, who was staring at Kiwi, still hanging in Modo's arms.  
"I think you can let him go now, big fella", the tan furred mouse said softly and Modo did what he said.  
Vinnie, who was deep in thoughts and hadn't heard Throttle give the order, dropped on the floor because Modo let him go all of a sudden.  
"Hey man!", he called out outraged, pushing himself up.  
"Whoops, sorry", Modo responded dryly.  
Vinnie gave him one more glare before kneeling down next to Kiwi, who was showing signs she was waking up.  
"Hey sweetheart", he said lovingly when she opened her eyes.  
Kiwi moaned.  
"Ugh, what hit me?", she mumbled, slowly coming up. She squeezed her eyes because of the pain in her neck.  
"Eh, I did", Carbine said sheepishly.  
Kiwi looked up at her, a little surprised. She never expected that Carbine would actually hurt her.  
Carbine gave her a little smile, a faint blush on her face.  
"I'm sorry, it was an accident, but still… Sorry."  
Kiwi grabbed the towel that Modo handed over and held it against her nose, not knowing what to say. There was a uncomfortable silence for a moment. Carbine cleared her throat.  
"So uhm… welcome to the team!", she smiled, trying to sound happy, but that failed. Not because she still was against it, but because she was ashamed she'd let it happen to let it come this far.  
Kiwi looked at Vinnie, who gave her a encouraging smile. But it didn't reach his eyes. He was still very upset, she could tell.  
"What made you change your mind?", Kiwi asked, looking back at Carbine.  
"Throttle", she simply answered, giving the tan furred mouse a loving smile. He smiled back.  
"Okaaayyy…"  
"Look, I was wrong, I judged you before I even knew your story. I let my own emotions get in the way and that's wrong. I projected the anger I feel for Vinnie on you, and that's not fair. You deserve a honest chance, okay? Just… don't let me down."  
Kiwi gave her a small nod. She normally was a rather forgiving person, but this needed a little bit more time.

"I never meant to hurt her, you know that?", Vinnie suddenly said, looking at Carbine.  
"Rose", he added when he saw the surprised look on her face. "She was just there when I needed it and… well, things got outta control…"  
Carbine took a deep breath.  
"What do you mean, outta control?"  
Vinnie stared at his hand holding Kiwi's hand for a moment, clearly not at ease to open up about this. Worse, to open up in front of Carbine. But he knew he had to. Because Carbine didn't knew the whole story. Obviously. If she did, she would never had the nerve to accuse him for being responsible for her death.  
"She was obsessed. I mean, I get it, with this perfect body…", but Kiwi shook her head at him, her way of letting him know that this was the time to be serious for once.  
Vinnie sighed.  
"Okay okay. Look, I met her in this bar and well, it was just a one night stand. I made that very clear to her before we.. well... ya know… but she told me she was okay with that. That she wasn't searching for a relationship. But soon, I found out she was everything but okay with it. She really was obsessed. She followed me everywhere, popped up next to me outta nowhere, kept radioing my bike, wrote me letters… Gosh, even for me it was too much attention, ya know? It just wasn't healthy. It was downright scary sometimes. Everywhere I was, she was too. I tried to tell her she needed to leave me alone, that I didn't feel the same way, but she refused to listen. When she left a engagement ring in front of my door on the base, I was done. And I made myself very clear that I didn't want her…"  
"You never told us, bro…", Modo said.  
Vinnie stared at him.  
"What is it with you repeating that stupid sentence over and over again, every time I tell you guys something? You should know me by now. I'm not really much of a talker. Jesus…"  
Modo chuckled, scratching the back of his neck with a blush on his face. Vinnie was right, it was a stupid thing to say.  
Carbine rubbed her chin, looking at the white furred mouse.  
"Well, she never told me either… How do I know you tell truth?"  
Vinnie's face darkened.  
"I should've known you wouldn't believe me. You can say a lot about me, but I ain't no liar. But if you want prove, fine…" and he jumped at his feet and left the kitchen to the garage.  
Within a few minutes, he was back and he pushed something in Carbine's hand.  
"There ya go. Happy now?"  
Carbine opened her hand and looked at the ring. It was a silver ring with a red diamond in it. She would recognize it everywhere.  
"This… this is my grandma's ring…", she stumbled, looking at Vinnie.  
The white furred mouse made a face.  
"Ugh, that makes it even worse, she really expected me to wear a old woman's ring? Come on, what about my reputation?", he muttered under his breath.  
"How is it you still have it?"  
"Look, I may be a guy, but even for me it was very clear it was important to her. I tried to give it back, but she wouldn't let me. I decided to keep it with me, till she was ready to move on… That moment never came..."  
"That's unusual thoughtful of you…", Carbine said slowly. She never had seen this side of Vinnie. She maybe, _maybe_ , was slowly starting to understand why Throttle had managed to not to kill him after living with him so many years.  
"Yeah well… I eh… yeah…", Vinnie stuttered, suddenly loss at words.  
"This doesn't mean I like you now", he finally managed to say. "But I thought you had the right to know the whole story. Yes, I broke her heart. But I had no choice. And I refuse to carry the responsibility for her death. That was her choice, not mine. I already have enough to blame myself for…", he trailed off.  
Harley.  
Carbine knew he was talking about Harley.  
"I still don't like you either. But thanks. For telling me."  
Vinnie saluted and grabbed Kiwi.  
"Come on, let's get you clean, sweetheart…", and he dragged her with him upstairs to the bathroom.  
Throttle grabbed Carbine's hand.  
"Come on, babe, let me show you around."  
They left the kitchen, leaving Modo behind.  
"Sure, I'll clean up the mess, no problem!", he called after Throttle, but with a smile on his face.  
Maybe this was gonna work out better than they ever could've dreamed off.  
Who knows… Perhaps miracles did happen after all...

* * *

BOOYAH!

Damn, I rewrote the 'kitchen scene' for like a 100 times or so, before I was kinda satisfied with the result. Finishing this chapter will do some good to my sleep, because every time I was lying in bed, I was staring at the ceiling, my brains forcing me to think about this scene the whole fucking time. Not sure why, though.  
Anywayz, a lot is about to happen in the upcoming chapters. Something with a Pink Seed Plant, a little romance between Throttle and Carbine… and more.  
And how are things gonna be between Vinnie and Carbine? I mean, Vinnie is not the most forgiving mouse in the universe and Carbine is stubborn too.  
Well, we'll see!

I'd really appreciate it if you guys leave a review.  
Thanks for supporting me, till next time!

Later dudes!


	42. Chapter 41

Wauw, thank you so much for your kind words!  
Really, when I feel like shit, I just go read all the reviews you gave me and it always brings a smile to my face. It's so nice to hear you guys enjoying the story! I also have a lot of fun writing it. Using the old episodes is a lotta fun, also thinking about the way how to fit Kiwi in and how to give it my own twist. It's not always easy, but that's okay.  
Easy is boring.  
But your support means so much to me. Keeps me motivated. Keeps me happy. Makes me realize the thing I love the most right now, is writing. I gives me energy. I really hope I can turn this hobby into more, someday, somehow…  
Well, I already published my first book. Who knows, one day…? I'll just keep my dreams. Without dreams, life is empty.

Anywayz, enough with the chit chats. On to the next chapter.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty one**

"So, this is it. This is where we spend most of our time", Throttle said, gesturing around him. He'd showed Carbine the house and they were now standing in the guesthouse.  
Carbine was impressed.  
"I sure do understand now why you don't wanna come back to Mars. This is heaven compared to what we have…", she said softly.  
"Oh, Carbine… This not because I don't wanna come back and you know that. But as long as Limburger is out there…" Throttle grabbed her hand and pulled her in his arms.  
She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his strong shoulder.  
"I'm sorry… For my behaviour. Really, I am. I just… God, I just feel so frustrated all the time…", she whispered.  
Throttle strengthened his embracement.  
"It's okay, babe. How can I stay mad at you? I'm just so happy you're here. And hey, the house is still standing! I'm proud of you… It could've been be a lot worse."  
Carbine smiled against his fur.  
"Yeah… But still, I should've trusted you. Well, I do trust you, but you're right, you have a good right to make your own decisions."  
"Sssshh… let's just look forward from now on, okay?", Throttle whispered while his hands slowly worked their way up and he cupped his hands around her head.  
He looked at her face, the scar on her snout, her soft and shiny fur, those beautiful eyes… Slowly, he bend forward and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, her hands still on his back. Carefully, he slid his tongue into her mouth, enjoying the fact he finally could taste her again. He let go off her head, gently lifted her and carried her to his bedroom. He didn't stop kissing her, he just couldn't get enough of her.

Once inside the bedroom, he set her back on her feet. Her hands crawled under his leather vest and she slowly took it off. His breathing became heavier and their kissing became more passionate. Throttle took off her shirt, only breaking off the kiss to pull it over her head. His hands slid over her body, starting by her breasts. Slowly, they slid further down and he unbuttoned her pants. She breathed in sharply and broke off the kiss, quickly kicking out her shoes and pants and Throttle smiled. Always so impatient. But he did the same and soon, they were both naked.  
He lay his hands on her waist and gently pushed her on his bed. She lay down on her back, her black hair fanned out around her head. She'd never looked this beautiful and he still had a hard time believing she was really here, lying on his bed, on Earth. But she was. He climbed on top of her, claiming her mouth again. Carbine grabbed his hips and pushed his lower body against hers, making them both moan softly. He felt one hand grabbing his longer hair at the back of his head and the other slowly made its way down. And when she touched him, his whole body trembled. God, how long has it been since a woman had touched him? He'd no idea. He'd lost count. After all, it's kinda pathetic to count your sexless days.  
When he was ready, he slowly made his way inside of her. She moaned his name against his lips and he leaned on his elbows, her head between his arms.  
"I love you…", he whispered in her ear while making love to her.  
Slowly.  
Gently.  
Lovingly.  
"I love you too…", she whispered back, her eyes closed, her arms around his neck.  
And Throttle knew, there was no other place where he wanted to be than here. No matter how many times she'd treated him like shit, no matter how stubborn, bitchy or mean she could be, he loved this girl with his whole heart, body and soul. No one could give him this feeling she gave him. As if he was finally complete again. And he vowed to himself, he was never gonna let her slip through his fingers again. But the look on her face told him she wasn't going anywhere. For now. Because he knew she needed to go back to Mars soon.  
But that was only a physical distance. Right now, their souls connected, he could feel it. And they were gonna be together forever.

Vinnie gently cleaned the blood off her face.  
Kiwi was looking at him while sitting on the closed toilet in the bathroom. His eyes were a little narrowed, the tip of his tongue was between his buck teeth in concentration. She smiled. He could be so cute sometimes.  
But when he touched her nose, she let out a soft yelp and backed away from his hand.  
"Autjs, that hurts!", she called out, while punching Vinnie on the arm.  
The white furred mouse hardly felt it. He was studying her nose.  
"What? Is it broken?", she asked, feeling a pang of worry because of the look on his face.  
"Well, I hate to tell ya this, sweetheart…", he started, his voice low and Kiwi tensed.  
"... but I have no idea. I ain't no doctor, remember?", and he smiled his most charming smile.  
Kiwi growled in frustration.  
"God, you really think it's funny to scare me like that? What if it is broken?"  
"Where's Ruby when you need her?", Vinnie muttered under his breath, continuing cleaning her face.  
Kiwi fell silent. Right. After all the commotion today, she almost forgot about Ruby. Great.  
"There ya go, doll", Vinnie said lovingly while looking at her face from a small distance. "At least you don't look like some kinda serial killer anymore. Listen, let's just wait till tomorrow, okay? If your nose still hurts like hell by then, I'll bring ya to a doctor."  
Kiwi nodded, but quickly stopped. Her neck was killing her.  
"Maybe you should take some painkillers?", Vinnie carefully suggested.  
"Watch it, macho mouse, before you're starting to get good at this", Kiwi warned him playfully while slowly standing up. He was right, though. She could use some.  
He quickly grabbed the bottle of aspirin and gave it to her. Seeing her like this, with her bruised face and the cut in her lip made his blood boil.  
"I should kick her ass for what she did to ya…", he said softly, his tail lashing through the air.  
Kiwi quickly swallowed the aspirin and shook her head.  
"Nah. After all, she didn't do this on purpose, remember? And I don't wanna end up homeless because you blow up everything in sight in anger. Let it go, okay?"  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, putting his chin in the air. But he gave her a small nod.  
Good. Message received.  
Kiwi studied her face in the mirror. The cut in her lip had stopped bleeding, but that was the only good thing she could find. Her nose was swollen, so were her eyes. She could already see a glimpse of a bruise that was forming under her right eye.  
Great. Just great. Tomorrow she probably looked like she'd tried to tickle a kangaroo or something.  
"But hey, at least she gave her permission", she said, trying to cheer them up.  
Vinnie snorted.  
"Pfuh. As if we need it…"  
"We do, Vin. I know you don't see her that way, but she _is_ the leader of the Freedom Fighters right now. NO, let me talk", she quickly added when she saw Vinnie was already opening his mouth. Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest again, but gave her a small nod, a sign to her to continue.  
"Don't get me wrong, I don't like her either. But her permission makes things a lot easier in the future. So, at least we reached our goal."  
Vinnie rolled his eyes, but said nothing, making clear to Kiwi he thought she was right. She turned around and lay a hand on his arm.  
"And I'm sorry about what happened to Rose", Kiwi said softly.  
Vinnie let out his breath.  
"Don't be. She made her choice."  
"Yeah, but still... "  
Vinnie shrugged.  
"It's done. We can't change the past. Let it go, sweetheart. I did."  
Kiwi saw in his eyes he didn't, but decided to let it go for now.  
"Man, she sure packs a serious punch", she moaned, feeling a little dizzy all of a sudden. She wobbled on her legs and Vinnie quickly grabbed her and scooped her in his arms.  
"Come on, doll, let's get you to bed. You need to rest."  
"But _daddy_ , I don't wanna go to bed", Kiwi cried, her voice sounding like a small kid.  
Vinnie looked down on her and grinned.  
"Aaaooww, you can call me daddy everyday, sweetheart", and he winked playfully at her.  
Kiwi giggled and when he lay her down on her bed, she dragged him with her.  
"Why don't you stay here for a while, macho mouse?", she whispered against his lips. She saw them curling into that smile she loved so much.  
"Sure, why not? I think I got some time…"

Modo walked into the stalkership, looking around him. It was a nice ship, he had to give them that. Luckily it was now in the hands of the Freedom Fighters. Behind the cockpit was a huge space, with couches and even a table. He spotted Amira, who was holding a small animal. She looked up when she heard a noise and when she saw it was him, she gave him a warm smile.  
Modo smiled back and looked at the animal in her arms. He'd never seen a Martian Squirrel Bat before, but it looked a lot like a Earth Squirrel. Except for the wings, that is. Two small, leather looking wings came out of his back. And the ears were also bigger. Oh, and as far as he knew, Earth Squirrels also didn't had two little red antenna's between their ears.  
"The poor guy doesn't look so good", Modo noticed.  
"No, he's sick. He needs that plant. Otherwise he's not gonna make it... ", Amira answered, gently petting the soft fur.  
"Well, when my bros are ready, we will go get that plant, Amira ma'am. Don't worry, we'll make sure this little fella is gonna pull through."  
"I believe you. I heard you three are the best soldiers the Fighters has. I have nothing more than faith in you."  
Modo scratched behind his right ear, always a little embarrassed when someone was saying this about them. He knew it was true, but he wasn't Vinnie. He didn't like to brag.  
"Ah well, we're just doing our job, Amira ma'am. Nothing major."  
Amire smiled.  
"You're far too modest, but that's okay."  
She gently lay the Squirrel Bat back in his cage, closing the door with a tenderness Modo thought was special. This girl must love her job very much.  
"I eh… I just came to check on ya after the whole thing that happened in the kitchen. It wasn't really a nice welcome for ya... ", Modo mentioned.  
Amira stared at her hands.  
"Well, no, but it was clearly something that needed to be discussed. But I gotta admit, hearing someone talk to the General like that, it was… Everybody respects her, ya know? For what she's doing for Mars. We all look up to her, she's a good leader and very devoted. This whole thing was… let's just say; _new_ to me", she eventually said, still staring at her hands. It was obvious this subject made her feel uncomfortable. Luckily, she was already gone when the fight had started.  
"Well, I'm sorry you had to witness that, Amira ma'am", Modo said polite.  
Amira looked up at him, her eyes almost looking like deer eyes behind that big glasses of hers. Her long, curly hair was now tied into a ponytail, giving her a somehow nerdish expression.  
"Is it always like this? I mean, ehm… never mind, it's none of my business anyway", she quickly added, a blush on her face. Modo lay a hand on her shoulder.  
"You're a Freedom Fighter. It _is_ your business. To answer your question; no, it isn't always like this. It's just that Vinnie and Carbine aren't exactly best friends and Vinnie isn't scared to show his displeasure. Plus, we go way back. I met Carbine right before the war, when Throttle introduced her to me as his girlfriend. There was no war, no army, no Freedom Fighters… We were just friends. Vinnie met her later on, but back then she was only a soldier in the army. I do respect her, I also admire her devotion, but I sometimes have a hard time to see her as my leader, ya know what I mean? When I look at her, I still see that shy teenage girl I met years ago. But I don't have problems with listening to her, following up her orders and stuff. I ain't no leader, and I know someone has to be. But Vinnie only listens to two people and that are Throttle and Stoker. He sometimes listens to me, from time to time. But even with Throttle and Stoker, he's a big mouth. He's a real piece of work", Modo explained.  
Amira was listening to him, now understanding a little bit better why somebody had the nerve to talk to her General like that white furred mouse had done. But she still didn't like him.  
Modo saw the look on her face and smiled.  
"Just give him some time, will ya? It also took me a while to get used to him. But once you get to know him, you'll warm up to him, I promise ya."  
Amira shrugged, not sure if she ever was gonna like that loudmouth, but decided to wait and see.  
"So, how is it to live on Earth?", she asked, while writing something down in a notebook.  
"Well, it's okay, actually. As you could see for yourselves, we've a good place to stay and Kiwi ma'am, well… she takes good care of us."  
"She seems like a nice girl. You guys are lucky you've found her. You miss Mars?"  
"Well, I miss my nephew, Rimfire. But…", but Amira interrupted him.  
"Rimfire is your nephew?", she asked surprised.  
"Oh eh, yeah… You know him?"  
"Oh, I know him, alright. Boy doesn't know how to stay outta trouble. But really, he's a good kid", Amira smiled.  
"Yeah, my sis raised him well…", Modo answered lovingly, but also a little sad.  
Amira patted his arm to let him know her sympathie before continuing writing in her notebook.  
"Well, I'm gonna go look for my bros, then… to see if they're ready…ya know… To get that plant...", Modo stuttered, suddenly uncomfortable with the silence. Amira nodded and waved absently at him, still focussing on her notebook.  
Modo turned around and walked away, thinking about his sister. He hadn't really thought about her for a while now, since there was only room for one person to grieve for and that was Cami. But mentioning he had a sister, brought back the pain of losing her. War. It destroyed everything you had. But it also made the things you still have stronger. Like the bond with your friends. Yeah, luckily he still has his bros. Without them, he wasn't sure if he was capable of continuing this fight.

Eventually they were ready to go after dinner. Kiwi had insisted to come with them, and Vinnie had insisted that she stayed home after what happened at the same time. After a long discussion, Throttle had intervened and decided to go tonight, so Kiwi could grab some rest before they would leave.  
Vinnie finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.  
Carbine had left her bike back on Mars and Kiwi didn't want her to drive one of the bikes in the garage, so they decided she could join Kiwi in the car to follow the guys. Amira told them she was gonna stay behind, so she could monitor the Squirrel Bat.  
"Sure, great idea, but does anyone besides you know how that plant even looks like?", Vinnie asked while mounting his bike.  
"Hate to say it, but he does have a point…", Modo nodded.  
Amira grabbed a device that looked a lot like a tablet and after typing a few things, she showed them a picture of a beautiful looking plant. It wasn't that big and the flowers had a beautiful orange colour and big seeds came out of the center of the flowers.  
"This is it. Not that hard to miss, even for you, right?", she snapped at Vinnie, who studied her for a moment, not sure why she was being that bitchy.  
Not that he was impressed.  
"She likes me", and he elbowed Modo, who rolled his one eye.  
Vinnie closed his visor, but not before he winked at Amira and gave him his most charming smile.  
A huge blush became visible under her fur and her bravado was suddenly nowhere to be found.  
"No worries, doll face. We'll be back before you know it with that plant", he smiled at her and he revved his bike.  
Modo somehow felt a little bit jealous about this whole interaction, but he wasn't sure why. He knew Vinnie didn't mean anything with it, he just loved to see how girls reacted on his charms, plus being the center of the attention was something he somehow needed. Maybe it was because Amira obviously was susceptible to his charms that made him feel a little annoyed. But why? He had no idea. He shook off the unpleasant feeling.  
Throttle, who was sitting on his bike next to Kiwi's car, raised his hand.  
"Alright, Freedom Fighters. Let's ROCK... "  
"...and RIDE!"  
Vinnie popped a wheelie and blew a hand kiss towards Amira, who wished she just could sink into the ground right now. Vinnie laughed and sped away, shaking his head. She liked him, he could tell. But hey, who wouldn't? He was the most skilled and sexy mouse alive, after all.

Carbine was sitting next to Kiwi, who was following the mice. Carbine had seen the interaction between Vinnie and Amira and she was glancing at Kiwi from the corner of her eyes, searching for a sign the human girl was upset about it. But she looked relaxed. Carbine took a deep breath.  
"You don't mind him doing that?", she asked curious.  
Kiwi turned her head to look at her for a moment, before focussing on the road again.  
"What?", she asked, a little confused.  
"Him flirting with Amira?"  
"Oh, that. No, I don't mind at all. I know how he is. Really, it's just a lot of hot air. I trust him and I don't doubt his love for me", Kiwi answered casually, turning up the airco a little.  
Carbine narrowed her eyes for a moment. But the girl gave no sign of discomfort.  
"You really love him, do you?"  
Kiwi only nodded, not in the mood to talk about this with the mouse who just punched her in the face only a few hours ago, even if it was an accident.  
Carbine sighed.  
"Look, I owe you a apology. I overreacted. I'm sorry."  
Kiwi also sighed.  
"It's okay, I guess… Although I gotta admit; you did say a few things that really hurt my feelings…"  
"I know. I really am sorry."  
Kiwi nodded.  
"I know. But lemme tell ya one thing; what Vinnie and I have is real. I know that is maybe hard to believe for you, but it's the truth."  
Carbine said nothing. She still wasn't convinced, since Rose had told her the same thing when Carbine tried to tell her Vinnie was not the most loyal mouse on Mars back then.  
Kiwi noticed her doubt.  
"Guess you'll just have to wait and see then", she smiled.  
"Guess so…"  
There was a long silence, but then Kiwi suddenly reached out her right hand to Carbine.  
"Hi. I'm Kiwi", she said, a little hesitant.  
Carbine looked confused at the hand, but then suddenly realized what Kiwi was doing. She was giving her a chance to start over.  
She smiled and shook the human girl's hand.  
"I'm Carbine. Nice to meet ya."  
"Likewise", Kiwi smiled.

After driving for a while, Throttle stopped his bike. His bro's stopped at his right, Kiwi on his left. Throttle opened his visor, looking at the building in front of him. It looked kinda like a warehouse and it was standing close by the Limburger Tower.  
"So that's where Limburger keeps his museum, huh?", the tan furred mouse said.  
"Well, there's one of his buildings we never trashed", Modo pointed out.  
"Hey! Some minor detail", Vinnie protested.  
"Good thing too", Carbine said through the open window of Kiwi's car. "The last living examples of a lotta species are in there."  
"So, Rimfire told ya this is the building?", Throttle asked at his girl.  
"Yeah. He's gotta Pink Seed Plant in there, alright."  
"Well, give us two seconds", Throttle smiled, revving his bike.  
"Are you guys sure about this? I mean, what if it's a trap?", Kiwi asked.  
"Sweetheart, no sweat!", Vinnie cheered while looking over his shoulder.  
"Yeah, we smash in, grab the plant…", Modo started, closing his visor.  
"...and bail before the big cheese even knows were there", Throttle finished.  
"Just like in the heroes aim book", Vinnie smiled.  
"Throttle, wait…", Carbine started, knowing Kiwi could be right. But the guys were already gone.  
"Men…", Carbine sighed, looking at Kiwi.  
"They're the same everywhere", the latter smiled.  
"Unfortunately…"

"Short…", Modo smiled while driving towards the building.  
"...sweet…", Vinnie nodded, driving next to him.  
"... and simple! No problem", Throttle agreed.  
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, my dear Biker Mice", they suddenly heard Limburgers voice.  
Laser guns and rocket launchers suddenly popped up everywhere around the building, all automatic.  
The mice stopped, looking at the screen which showed Limburgers hideous face.  
"I'm afraid there's going to be a very large problem indeed…"  
Vinnie studied the weapons, knowing there had to be something why the big cheese was so happy.  
"Uh oh, bro's… They all got heat sensors…", he warned, knowing this complicated the job.  
Lasers shooting randomly, no problem. Lasers shooting while locked on target… Well, that was a whole different story.  
And missiles fired while locked on target… Well, he could only be excited about it.  
Destruction, chaos, a chance of getting killed… Sounds like his kinda party.  
"Split up!", Throttle ordered, right when the lasers started shooting at them. The mice sped away, all in a different direction.  
Vinnie tried to avoid the shots, but even for him it was a challenge. And since the guns kept firing, he was too busy with avoiding without having time to shoot back. That was a fact he wasn't amused about. Come on, he needed to blow something up, alright.  
"Hate to say it, bro's...", he said over the radio. "...but I gotta feeling this surprise attack ain't exactly a surprise anymore…"  
His eyes spotted a rocket that was coming from behind and he hit the accelerator right before it exploded behind him. The shockwave made his bike fly into the air, but he quickly took over control and after a few somersaults, he landed on his tires again and sped to his bro's.  
"I think you might be right, Vincent", he heard Throttle's husky voice in his ears.  
"Ya think?", Modo added dryly.  
Vinnie grinned while zigzagging to avoid the lasers.  
"Regroup", Throttle ordered and they drove away from the building.  
Kiwi was already outta range and Carbine was standing on the roof of the car, firing her laser gun to cover the guys.  
The mice turned their bikes and tried to attack again, but right before they could do that, a huge wall of steel suddenly came outta the floor, surrounding the whole building.  
"Uh oh… Look alive, bro's!", Throttle warned them.  
They quickly turned and drove alongside the wall. Modo reached out with his metal hand, scratching against the steel.  
"Plutarkian steel… No way through it…"  
"Ah man, you mean we gotta bail?", Vinnie asked disappointed.  
"We got no choice, Vincent, we're sitting ducks here", Throttle answered, a little annoyed.  
"And as my dear old gray furred momma used to say; best to find a better way and whip some tail another day."  
"That doesn't make it any better, ya know that, right?", Vinnie sighed, but followed his bro's when they turned around and drove away.

Back home, the mice drove into the garage. They'd decided on the way back to upgrade their weapons on the bikes and replace them with a little bit more heavy munition.  
Meanwhile, Carbine decided to take a shower. Kiwi quickly explained to the light gray furred mouse how it worked before leaving to give her some privacy. Carbine slowly undressed herself and stepped under the hot beam. She let out her breath in surprise. This was great. Exactly what she needed after this stressful day. Some people may think she didn't care about anything else than war. But she did. And she hated it to fight with Vinnie. She hated it to tell Throttle he'd crossed a line. It's not that she enjoyed doing that. But sometimes, a leader needed to do things that weren't easy. But that didn't mean it didn't cost her anything. It was stressful, alright. So this shower thing was amazing to relax. And she did.

After two hours, they were standing by the building again. The walls were gone and the peace was restored. As if they'd never been here before.  
Throttle looked behind him at the girls in the car.  
"Hang back, ladies. Guard our rears", Throttle smiled at them.  
Vinnie wiggled his butt while winking at Kiwi.  
"You lucky thing, youz…"  
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but smiled. Typical.  
The mice sped away.  
"Battle mode, bro's", Throttle ordered. "Be ready for anything!"  
Vinnie popped a wheelie, all hyped up and ready to fight. He hated it when they needed to bail. That was so not cool. So, he sure was ready for round two. Let's get this show on the road!  
But when they came closer, nothing happened.  
But like, really nothing. The place was deserted. The mice hit the brakes and Vinnie threw his hands in the air.  
"Hey, what is this, a fucking ghost town? Where are the guns?", he spit out, clearly not amused. A normal person would be happy not to have a welcome reception with lasers and missiles. Vinnie, on the other hand, wasn't.  
But so weren't his bro's.  
"Yeah, we were ready for anything, but we weren't ready for nothing", Modo stated, looking around him. This was weird, alright.  
Vinnie pushed a button on his bike and a laser came out, blowing up the wall from the building.  
"Come on! Take a shot!", he yelled, but still no response.  
Throttle looked through the hole Vinnie had made.  
"Well, there it is, bro's…", he said, pointing at the Pink Seed Plant that was standing in the middle of a empty room.  
He quickly drove inside, grabbed the plant and drove back out.  
"Yeah, but this was too easy…", Modo said, a little suspicious. "No goons, no fighting…"  
"No _FUN_ ….", Vinnie growled annoyed, his arms crossed before his chest.  
"Yeah, Limburger is up to something, alright you guys. Check it out!", Throttle suddenly said, pointing up. Three huge cages were hanging on the ceiling in the building, ready to catch them if they were gonna grab the plant. But that failed, obviously.  
They were still debating what could be wrong, when Kiwi's voice came over the radio.  
"Guys, back to the house, pronto! I think I know what's going on here…"  
The mice gave each other a puzzled look, but then shrugged.  
"We're on your tail, sweetheart"

When they came back by the house, the yard suddenly looked way too empty.  
"Oh no…", Modo sighed. The ship was gone. And where was Amira?  
Kiwi and Carbine jumped outta the car, looking at the tv that was standing at the place where the ship used to be. It suddenly came to life and the bro's joined the girls to listen to what Limburger had to say. .  
"Oh but yes, you bombastic Biker Mice! You may possess your precious plant, but _I have your spaceship_ …", Limburger sang the last words evilly.  
"Oh no… without that…", Throttle started, but Limburger interrupted him.  
"Precisely. You now have noooo possible way to get the Pink Seed Plant to Mars. But I am, as ever, a reasonable fish. Always willing to make a deal. Permit me to propose a trade, Biker Mice. I'll turn this ship over to your female companion, if you turn yourselves over to me… Muawahahahaaaa!"  
Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
"Here we go again…"  
"I'll await your decision. You have three hours. Ciao!"  
Throttle suddenly jumped forward and parked his fist into the tv, making the whole device catch fire.  
"Ah man, we blitz right, he fix left. That slimeball is predicting our every move", he growled furious, his fist now into his other hand.  
"Guys…?", they suddenly heard a weak voice behind them. They all whirled around.  
Amira stumbled towards them, holding the Squirrel Bat in her arms. Carbine quickly ran towards her and supported her.  
"Amira, you okay? What did they do you?", she asked worried.  
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. A guy as big as a building leaking oil hit me on the head…"  
The guys shared a look.  
"Greasepit…"  
"But I managed to escape with this little guy before they took the ship… I'm sorry, General, I wish I could've done more to protect the ship, but…", but Carbine stopped her.  
"It's okay, Amira, I'm already glad your safe. I know you're no soldier, there was nothing you could do."  
Kiwi quickly helped Carbine support Amira.  
"Come on, let's get you inside."

Amira dropped on the couch, closing her eyes for a moment.  
Kiwi quickly grabbed a glass of water and gave it to the honey coloured mouse.  
"Thank you", Amira sighed, taking a sip.  
The Squirrel Bat was lying almost lifeless in her arms.  
"Poor little guy… Don't look like he's lasting much longer…", Modo said worried.  
"Yes, he will", Carbine said, walking inside with the Pink Seed Plant. "I think we can spare one seed of this plant."  
Amira nodded.  
"Yeah, we can. Please, give him one, before he dies."  
Carbine did what she asked and the Squirrel Bat stretched his small arms to the seed when he smelled it. He took it in his little hands and ate it. Soon after that, his eyes flew open and looked a lot more clear.  
"Heeeyy…", Vinnie smiled lovingly.  
"The little fella is perking up!", Modo added.  
"Oh my god… It worked!", Kiwi called out.  
"Yeah... ", Amira nodded. "But if we don't get the Pink Seed Plant to Mars, the others won't be so lucky…"  
There was a silence for a moment. The bro's shared a quick look and nodded.  
"Well, that's it then…", Throttle eventually said, cracking his knuckles.  
"Yep… We gotta turn ourselves over", Modo nodded.  
Kiwi's eyes grew big.  
"What?!"  
"Are you crazy?", Carbine joined her.  
"That cheeseball will eliminate you!", Kiwi yelled, a hint of panic in her voice.  
"Ah, sweetheart… It's all part of being a hero…", Vinnie said softly.  
"Yeah, we're not gonna let a whole species wiped out on the count of us…", Modo stated.  
"No, no, no! Why not attack, do what you always do?", Kiwi pleaded, looking at Vinnie with tears in her eyes.  
What the hell? They couldn't just leave her like this. No way.  
"Oh, the big cheese is plenty ready for that", Throttle answered firmly.  
"Yeah, lose us and the ship both…", Modo added.  
"Guys, come on, you can't be serious about this… I can't lose you, I…", Kiwi stuttered, clearly on her way to having a panic attack.  
But Carbine lay a hand on her shoulder and Kiwi looked up surprised.  
"Easy, girl. We're not gonna give up that easily. Aren't there any other ways in?"  
Kiwi tried to calm down enough to use her brains again.  
"Ehm, well, I eh… _WAIT_! The sewers! They run right under the building!"  
"Limburger will have guards in there, Kiwi…", Throttle pointed out.  
"Not if they're distracted…", Carbine smiled.  
The guys faces lit up.  
"There's a thought... ", Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"A double fake", Modo smiled.  
"He did it to us", Carbine nodded.  
"And we'll do it to him!", and Kiwi smashed one fist into her other hand.  
Vinnie was so hyped up about the plan he forgot his anger against Carbine for a moment.  
"Aaaooww! Music to my oversized ears!"  
"And that's why she's a General", Throttle said lovingly while pulling Carbine in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling against his fur.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, but luckily for him nobody saw it. Well, Kiwi did. But she had other things on her mind.  
She was somehow still upset he even _thought_ about leaving her like that. How could he… But she quickly realized she was being selfish. They were soldiers. They were heroes. Nothing could jeopardize their mission, namely stopping the Plutarkians. Saving Mars.  
Man, living in a war was hard, alright. She still needed a lot to learn, she could tell.  
Carbine untangled herself.  
"Amira, you need to come along with this one. Once we got the ship back, we need to leave immediately, before Limburger is gonna pull more stunts to keep us here. And we need to save those Squirrel Bats, right?"  
Amira nodded so violently, her glasses almost flew off her nose. She quickly grabbed and it set it back.  
"Yeah, we got no time to lose."  
Kiwi looked at Throttle and Carbine, a pang of sadness in her heart. She'd wished they had more time to spend together here on Earth. But by the looks of things, that was too good to be true. They both seemed to realize that too.  
She cleared her throat and grabbed Vinnie's hand.  
"Come on, everyone. Let's give them a little privacy now."  
She dragged Vinnie with her and Amira and Modo quickly followed, leaving Throttle and Carbine alone.  
Throttle looked at Carbine, the love of his life. Saying goodbye always came too soon.  
"This isn't a final goodbye, babe…", he said softly when he saw the pain in her eyes. She sighed and he pulled her in his arms.  
"I wish you could come with me…"  
"I wish you could stay here…"  
They held each other tightly, both completely sucked into this moment.  
Time suddenly was just a ticking clock, nothing more.  
And they both wished they could stay here, in this moment, forever.

Amira, Kiwi and Carbine climbed outta the car, that was parked close by the sewer. The Squirrel Bat was sitting on Amira's shoulder, looking around him with awe.  
Kiwi climbed inside the big tunnel, but quickly noticed it was way too dark.  
"Wow, it's dark in here… Kinda like the inside of Vinnie's head", Kiwi giggled, taking over the Pink Seed Plant from Carbine so the light gray furred mouse could climb into the tunnel.  
"We can't risk a light…", Carbine mused when she was standing next to Kiwi.  
"Ahum, a little help here?", they suddenly heard Amira's voice coming from behind them.  
"Oh right", and Kiwi quickly helped the Martian biologist inside the tunnel.  
"Wow, dark indeed…", Amira whispered, but then gently took the Squirrel Bat off her shoulder.  
"Luckily, fuzzy here can see in the dark. He'll guide us."  
The Squirrel Bat made a cute noise and spread his wings. He flew into the tunnel and the two mice used their sensitive hearing to follow the small animal. Carbine had grabbed Kiwi's hand to make sure the human girl wasn't gonna get lost.  
After a while, they suddenly saw light at the end of the tunnel. They slowly sneaked closer, making sure not to step into the light.  
"That's that guy who hit me", Amira suddenly whispered, pointing at Greasepit who was standing close by the entrance to Limburger Plaza.  
"That's Greasepit. He's dumb, but strong and sometimes even dangerous", Kiwi whispered back.  
Carbine looked at Kiwi.  
"You and Amira are gonna distract him, I grab him from above", she said softly, pointing at the stairs that were closeby. Then, she looked at Kiwi.  
"Time to prove your place in the team, Kiwi. Don't let me down."  
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but saluted. Come on. She was born to do this.  
Hmmm… She realized she was starting to sound like Vinnie. Bad news.

"Geez, I never sees no action…", Greasepit sighed, looking around him.  
"Hey grease stain…"  
He whirled around and looked straight into the faces of Kiwi and Amira.  
"If you're looking for action…", Kiwi said nonchalant, studying her nails.  
"... you just got it", and Carbine jumped down, landed smoothly on her feet and whirled around, kicking Greasepit right into his face. The guy was knocked out immediately.  
"Good job, ladies", Carbine smiled. "Now, let's go get that ship."

Meanwhile, the guys arrived at Limburger Plaza. Guns popped out everywhere, opening fire on the mice.  
"AAAOOW! Hostile confrontation! Now that's more like it!", Vinnie cheered, bouncing on his bike in excitement.  
"Good to see the place back to normal", Modo agreed.  
"Kick it, bro's! Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"  
They popped a wheelie and threw themselves into chaos. Soon, the weapons were either exploded or disabled and the mice made their way inside the building.  
They drove full speed, well as far that's possible inside a building, down to the garage.  
Once down, they stopped their bikes with shrieking tires right in front of Limburger, who was standing in front of the ship. Vinnie noticed the guy had a way too smugly look on his face. Now what?  
"Give it up, cheese face…", Throttle said, his husky voice even lower.  
"Yeah, we're taking that ship…", Modo continued.  
"...and we're taking you with it", Vinnie finished, but as expected, Limburger started laughing.  
Vinnie saw the girls climbing outta the sewer under the ship. He suppressed his smile, to avoid Limburger was gonna see it too. He focussed his attention back on the stinking Plutarkian.  
"But I don't think so, my dear mice. It would appear that you have entirely the wrong grasp of the situation. You have not trapped me… Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, noooo… hehehe. In fact, it is _I_ that entrapped you… Muawhahaha! Meet an old friend..."  
The mice looked in the direction he pointed at.  
"Lectromac!", Karbunkle's voice echoed through the garage and the mice saw that annoying robot standing close by.  
"Oh shit… here we go again…", Vinnie sighed when he saw the robot raising his hands, firing his green light at them.  
They flew into the air and crashed against the ceiling.  
"Ah man… how uncool…", Vinnie managed to squeeze out.  
The pressure was almost unbearable. But luckily, Lectromac moved his hands and they flew through the air again.  
Limburger was watching it, a happy smile on his face.  
"Ahhh… How utterly enjoyable!"  
The mice got crashed against the ship and Throttle looked inside. He saw Carbine and Amira sitting in the cockpit, making the ship ready to leave.  
"Hang in there, handsome", Carbine smiled at him.  
"Sure, it's not that I have other things to do", Throttle chuckled.  
Suddenly, they got pulled away from the ship and crashed against the wall with their backs.  
Because of the magnetic powers, they were completely helpless, being pushed against the wall.  
Vinnie saw Kiwi sneaking behind Lectromac, who was standing next to Limburger and Karbunkle. He tried to shake his head, to warn her to stay outta this, but he couldn't.  
Kiwi grabbed a iron pipe from the ground that had come down when Lectromac had crashed the mice against the ceiling.  
Throttle saw it now too, but there was no way to stop her.  
"Hey! Metal mouth!", she yelled, holding up the pipe.  
Lectromac turned his head and she hit him full in his face. The robot fell on the floor, and the mice were free.  
At that point, a lot of things happened at the same time.  
Carbine had started the engines, and nose of the ship slowly rose into the air.  
Limburger saw it.  
"What! No! Not in here!"  
At the same time, Vinnie scrambled on his feet and started running to Kiwi, who was looking at Lectromac with a satisfied look on her face.  
"Sweetheart, move, NOW!", Vinnie yelled, seeing Lectromac slowly rising on his feet again.  
Kiwi's face suddenly darkened, realizing she was in trouble now.  
Vinnie ran as fast as he could, but she was on the other side of the garage.  
He whistled between his teeth and his bike roared into action. But they both weren't fast enough.  
Dammit.  
The ship's engines became louder and louder, ready to launch.  
Lectromac raised his fist. Kiwi slowly walked backwards, her hands in front of her body in defence.  
"Kiwi, NO!", Vinnie screamed in fear when he saw the fist of Lectromac starting its way down.  
Impact seemed unavoidable. But help came outta surprising corner.  
A laser was fired, and Lectromac flew away, landed a few meters away and stopped moving.  
Vinnie finally reached Kiwi, almost crashing against her because of his speed. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, and looked into the direction the laser had come from.  
"This still doesn't mean I lika ya, _Vincent_!"  
Carbine tapped with the gun against her head in goodbye and quickly climbed back into the ship.  
Vinnie's jaw was almost reaching the ground in surprise. But he quickly recovered and saluted at Carbine, who nodded back through the window.  
"I still don't like ya either, _General_ ", he mumbled, but with a small smile on his face.  
The ship fired its jets and crashed through the walls outside, launching into space.  
The mice quickly jumped at their bikes, Vinnie grabbed Kiwi with his tail while speeding away.  
The whole tower crumbled into dust right after they sped out and they stopped once at safe distance.  
"Well. We did it, bro's", Throttle smiled, but it was a sad smile.  
Of course he was proud of them, but Carbine was gone. Man...  
"Saved the day", Vinnie nodded.  
"And also two entire species of wildlife!", Modo added.  
"Yep! And so you know what that means..", and Throttle closed his visor, trying to shake off the sad feeling.  
"Bet ya."  
"Sure do."  
"What?", Kiwi asked curious.  
"Lunch!", the mice answered in unison.  
"Oooohhh, honestly….", Kiwi shook her head. Lunch at midnight, sure thing. Why not?

"That sure was a close one, sweetheart", Vinnie mentioned, while stepping off his bike. He pulled off his helmet and gave her a meaningful look.  
Kiwi shrugged.  
"Yeah, but Carbine saved me. I'm sure that means something. And it's also a good reason for you to give her a second chance."  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes.  
"When did you two became besties?", he asked suspiciously.  
"When I offered her the chance to start over. And she took it with both hands. Throttle is right. We need to fight this war together. You said it yourself; we can't change the past. But lemme tell ya something; we can change the future. Give her a chance, macho mouse."  
Vinnie glanced at Throttle and Modo, who were so called busy with their bikes, but it was obvious they were listening to this conversation.  
Kiwi gently grabbed Vinnie's chin and turned his head towards her. She looked into his beautiful ruby red eyes, and he looked back into her sprankling ocean blue eyes.  
"Just think about it, okay? That's all I'm asking", she said softly.  
Vinnie leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  
"Okay."  
He left the garage and Modo followed him. Kiwi noticed Throttle was still busy with his bike and walked over to him. She lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"You okay, Throttle?"  
He remained silent for a moment, but then sighed.  
"Yeah, sorta. I just wish she could've stayed longer. But of course, Limburger had to interfere…"  
He turned around and Kiwi gently took his hand.  
"I'm sorry, Throttle. I also wished you two had more time…"  
He smiled at her, ruffling through her hair.  
"Ah well… You seemed to get along with her in the end, kiddo. Thank you, for that. It means a lot to me."  
"Everybody deserves a second chance", Kiwi smiled back.  
"So, lunch?", she joked.  
Throttle chuckled.  
"Great idea."

"Sweetheart, come on… Make your choice! This is taking forever!", Vinnie whined, looking at Kiwi who was staring at the bikes in the garage.  
Her leg was healed, so Throttle had suggested to start training.  
"I can't… I can't just chose, Vinnie! God dammit, they were all my father's bikes. It comes with a certain emotional eh… I dunno, it just makes me feel sad, okay?!", Kiwi called out, her hands in her hair. She was staring at the bikes for like fifteen minutes now and she still had no idea which one to pick.  
Vinnie sighed, but with a compassionated look on his face. He walked closer to her and lay his hands on her shoulders.  
"Okay, okay, easy doll. I'm not saying this is easy, but staring at them for hours isn't gonna make it easier. Do you want me to pick one?"  
Kiwi turned around with a pleading look on her face.  
"Can't I just use your bike to learn? I mean, she would never let me fall or anything…"  
"No dice, sweetheart. You need to learn to ride your own bike. Otherwise you're never gonna learn. And I'm sorry to disappoint your, but falling comes with the proces. You can't learn to ride a bike without falling. So, get used to that idea."  
"But…"  
"No sweat, I'm gonna be there and make sure you don't break anything. Like a nail, or something…", he teased and Kiwi elbowed him.  
"Since when do I care if I break a nail?"  
"You're a girl. Of course you do."  
"Talk about being black and white."  
Vinnie chuckled and let her go.  
He rubbed his chin while walking between the bikes, looking at them one by one. On some of them he took place, testing some things. But he didn't seemed satisfied. Until he reached the last one. Kiwi's heart sank. That was the bike her father had bought for her mother. But she'd never rode on it. It was just two days before they died...  
"A Honda Rebel. Perfect", Vinnie smiled. He looked at Kiwi, waving at her to come closer.  
"This is a perfect bike to start with. Chopper model, saddle close to the road what makes the driving experience a lot more pleasant for someone who's just starting…", he trailed off.  
"Long story short, this is the perfect bike."  
Kiwi slowly nodded.  
"Okay…"  
She looked at the bike. It was beautiful. Black paint, beautiful chrome parts, new tires… She noticed her breathing became faster, she clenched her fists and her muscles started shaking. Riding with Vinnie was something she was used to by now. But riding her own bike, a bike that once belonged to her mother… She started to feel the panic taking over, but then…  
A soft hand touched her cheek, the oh so familiar scent filled her nose… she looked up into Vinnie's eyes, who were filled with concern.  
"It's okay, sweetheart. Breathe…", he said with that low voice that always calmed her nerves.  
She tried to do what he asked, but all she could see when she closed her eyes was her mother's body that crushed against the truck.  
"Open your eyes…"  
She did what he said. His both hands cupped around her face.  
"Sssshhh… it's okay, babe. I'm here. We're not gonna do anything if you're not ready. But we need to find a way to get you ready. I mean, this is what you wanted, right?"  
His voice. God. She could feel her body starting to relax again. She kept staring into his eyes.  
"I'm not gonna force ya, okay? But I know you want this. So, tell me. How are we gonna make this work?"  
The vibrations of his low voice gave her goosebumps, it almost made her muscles completely relax.  
Almost.  
Vinnie took a deep breath, knowing there was only last push she needed.  
"Kiwi…"  
She breathed in sharply and shook her head, as if she woke up from a trance.  
"I can do this. I can do this. I just… yeah, I can do this", she mumbled and she slowly swung her leg over the bike and took place on the soft, leather saddle. Her hands made their way to the handlebars. It felt good. She felt her body completely relax now.  
Vinnie saw it and gave her a proud smile.  
"Very good, sweetheart. Come on, that's enough for today, we can continue this tomorrow…", but Kiwi shook her head.  
"No, I… I can do this…"  
"Ya sure?"  
"Yeah. You should know… This was my mothers bike…"  
"I eh.. I just.. well, your mother would be very proud of you, doll. I just know she would be."  
Kiwi looked up at him, a surprised look on her face. But that soon changed into a loving expression.  
"Thank you. That means a lot to me."  
"No biggie. Just telling it like it is", Vinnie answered, clearly not at ease. He cleared his throat.  
"Anyway. Listen carefully now…"  
He explained to her how the bike worked. How to handle the heavy machine.  
Kiwi listened carefully, a concentrated look on her face. Vinnie suddenly stopped talking while looking at her. She was so beautiful. So devoted. So strong. He really admired her. Her fighting spirit. No matter how many times she fell on her face, she always found the strength to scramble on her feet again after. That was what he admired the most. He knew how hard it was.  
She was a small built human girl with the strength of a Martian Mouse. That's for sure.  
"Vinnie?", he suddenly heard her ask. He shook his head and gave her his most charming smile.  
"Sorry, babe, I zoomed out for a moment…"  
"To where?"  
He looked at her, biting his lower lip for a moment.  
"I probably should say this a lot more often, but sweetheart… I love you. Only looking at you makes me happy. Ugh, that sounds so cheesy and mushy, but it's the truth…", he trailed off again when he felt her hand on his arm.  
He saw the loving look she had on her face and he suddenly pulled her off the bike, right into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair and let out his breath.  
"I love you so much, Kiwi Lavandor…"  
"I love you too, Vincent van Wham. So much... "

* * *

Oh my god, how cute :D

Well, I think it all came to a good end after all. Carbine and Vinnie will probably never like each other, but Carbine did a pretty smart thing by saving Kiwi. The best thing to earn Vinnie's respect is protecting the thing he loves the most. Smart thinking, General!  
It's a shame Amira and Carbine had to leave this fast, but Mars needed them. The Pink Seed Plant needed to get back as soon as possible.  
And what about Modo and Amira? I think it's not really surprising I added her to the story not only because I needed a biologist… ;) That's all I'm gonna say. Time will tell how this will develop.  
So, I decided the next chapter that I'm gonna use, is my favorite chapter of all time. And I'm really looking forward to give it my own twist.

Feel free to leave a review! :)  
Till next time, you guys! Thanks for your support, can't say it enough!

Later dudes!


	43. Chapter 42

Thanks again for the reviews, very much appreciated!

Just a little warning, shit is about to get real.  
Hope you guys are not gonna hate me for it ;)  
Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty two**

"Glad to see you make it back home in one piece, babe", Throttle smiled at the screen. "You had a good trip?"  
"Yeah, it was fine, no major problems."  
"And how are the Squirrel Bats doing?"  
"Amira fed them and used the leftover seeds to grow the plant on the base. To make sure it's not gonna be destroyed in a battlefield. When Mars is free again, she'll plant them outside."  
"Good."  
There was a silence for a moment.  
"How is Kiwi doing?", Carbine suddenly asked, a little hesitant.  
Throttle's head jerked up in surprise.  
"She's fine, why you ask?"  
"Well, she got almost crushed by that robot and I… well, I just wanna make sure she's fine."  
"She is, babe. Thanks to you."  
"Yeah well… Couldn't just let her get hurt, right? She's a good kid."  
"Glad you two made things right, babe. Means the world to me."  
"And ehm… Vinnie?"  
"What about him?"  
"Well, is he… still mad?"  
"Oh babe, you know how he is. But he's very grateful you saved his girl. Smart move, General", and Throttle gave her a teasing smile.  
But then his face grew serious again, thinking back at the conversation Kiwi and Vinnie had in the garage when they came back from the mission.  
"He's gonna need some time, but I think things will work out just fine. But since when do you care?"  
Carbine's face darkened and she put her chin in the air.  
"I don't."  
Throttle suppressed his smile. She obviously did care. But as usual, too stubborn to admit it out loud.  
"I still don't like him."  
"I know, babe. I'm pretty sure he also still feels the same way about you. So, no worries", the tan furred mouse teased.  
Carbine rolled her eyes, but her lips curled into a little smile.  
"Would you believe me when I say that Amira wouldn't shut up about Modo? The whole trip back to Mars she kept asking things about him. I think she likes him."  
Throttle shrugged.  
"I'm not that surprised. He's a good guy."  
"Yeah, I never said he wasn't. But I thought she was into Vinnie. But she made herself very clear she isn't."  
"Girltalk, babe…", Throttle yawned, not really that interested in Amira's love life.  
"Whoops, you're right. But I thought you should know, in case Modo was gonna ask anything about her…"  
"So I can play Cupido? No dice, Carbine. Let them figure this out by themselves. I already have my hands full with Vinnie, the big fella can take care of himself, thank the mothers of Mars.. And I don't think he's gonna rush into the next relationship after Ruby's sudden leave."  
Carbine raised her hands in her defence.  
"Okay, okay. I just…", but Throttle gave her a warning look.  
Carbine burst out into laughter.  
"Just messing with ya. Message received, loud and clear. Anyway, gorgeous, I need to go. There are a lot of things that need my attention."  
"Stay safe, Carbine. Talk to you later."  
"You too, Throttle. Carbine out."  
The screen went black and Throttle rubbed his face while shaking his head.  
Women… Honestly.  
Carbine really needed to find herself a _BFF_.

Kiwi was staring at Vinnie, who was standing in front of her in only his sweatpants in the yard.  
"What? No!", and she shook her head.  
"Come on, sweetheart, you don't need to be scared that you're _actually_ gonna hurt me…", Vinnie chuckled. "It's not that I can't handle you."  
But Kiwi crossed her arms before her chest.  
"I'm not gonna hit you with all my strength, and that's final."  
"Ugh, babe, come on. You wanted to be part of the team, right? You need to learn how to fight. I thought you really wanted this, but first the whole thing with the bike, now this… You're not gonna tell me you're scared now, are ya?"  
Kiwi started to feel annoyed. Why was he being so mean?  
"Really? You're doubting my devotion?", she asked, her fists clenched.  
Vinnie gave her a arrogant smile.  
"Yep. I am. I also think you're a pussy."  
Kiwi breathed in sharply, her cheeks became red.  
"What did you just say, mister van Wham?", she growled.  
But Vinnie didn't burdge. His smile only became bigger, making Kiwi even more angry.  
"You heard me, sweetheart. I called you a pussy."  
Kiwi stared at him, her heart racing in her chest.  
This mouse… He could be the sweetest guy on Earth, but the way he was acting now gave her the urge to kill him.  
Vinnie saw she was about to explode and gave her the final push.  
"What? Did I hurt little Kiwi's feelings?", he asked with a patronizing tone in his voice, but still with that arrogant expression on his face.  
"That's it!", and Kiwi launched herself towards the white furred mouse, who easily avoided it. He grabbed her arm and twisted it on her back.  
"First lesson: never attack in blind rage. It makes your moves predictable, next to the fact that people who are angry make mistakes easily…", he explained with a withheld chuckle. He let her go and did a few steps back.  
Kiwi turned around and glared at him.  
Vinnie smiled, he just couldn't help it. She looked so cute when she was angry. And hot. He winked at her, giving her his most charming smile. His heart started to beat faster, he could feel lust taking over his body only looking at her.  
Kiwi wasn't aware of this. She took a deep breath and attacked again, this time more restraint. She tried to trick him and pretended she came at his left, but at the last moment she turned to the right and tried to hit him.  
But of course, Vinnie saw it coming from miles away and dodged it easily. His tail lashed through the air and whirled around her ankles. He pulled and Kiwi landed on her back in the soft grass.  
"Whoops… Sorry, babe… My bad."  
Kiwi clenched her teeth. In one movement, she jumped at her feet again and raised her foot to kick him between his legs, but again, Vinnie stepped back on time. It made Kiwi even more angry, and that smugly smile…  
"Argh! Come here, you!"  
She took a run and jumped at him, but he spread his arms and catched her. She struggled to get loose, still angry at him, but he held her tightly.  
"Lemme go! I will kick your ass!", Kiwi yelled, still struggling.  
"Oooohh, so _that's_ what you were trying to do… You failed, pretty lady. Big time", Vinnie teased her.  
She looked up at him, her eyes fuming.  
Vinnie looked back, his breathing became heavier while seeing her burning eyes. And he felt he lost control. Like a rubber band that snapped. His eyes suddenly became darker and he kissed her roughly. At first, Kiwi tried to push him away, but he just held her and soon, she kissed him back eagerly, both completely caught in the moment. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he lay her down on the grass, his hand already under her shirt.  
Kiwi's anger fired her passion like never before and she practically ripped off his sweatpants with her feet. He did the same with her pants and he roughly pushed her legs up. Kiwi spread her legs and looked at him, a faint blush on her cheeks but her eyes were sparkling. He bit on his lower lip and his nose wrinkled a little when he made his way inside of her.  
That they were in the middle of the yard, in the open, with Modo and Throttle in the guesthouse, well, that small detail seemed what I just called it.  
 _Small_. So small, they absolutely forgot about it.  
The sex was rough. Downright dirty. But Kiwi loved it. Especially since her passion was mixed with anger towards the white furred mouse. And he knew exactly how to use that. How to play her feelings. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she suddenly realized he probably did all that on purpose, making her angry so she would attack him… Clever mouse…  
When she reached her peak, she set her nails in his back.  
Hard.  
That pushed him over the edge too and his whole body tensed, his eyes squeezed and teeth clenched.  
Kiwi looked at him. Hot damn, he was so unashamedly sexy. His muscles that were clearly visible under his soft fur, his perfect built body, his beautiful eyes…  
Which were looking back at her right now. And his lips curled into that lazy, arrogant smile. The one she loved so much. Not that smugly smile he had before all this. No, this was the smile that had made her fall in love with him. I mean, who wouldn't after seeing that smile? It made him even more sexy. But he was hers. Thank god, he was hers.  
"Good work, sweetheart", he whispered, still leaning on his hands, still inside of her.  
"I should've known you did that on purpose…", she sighed, but her eyes were twinkling. "I can't believe I fell for that trick…"  
"Don't sweat it, babe. Getting on someone's nerves is one of my many talents. You never had a chance."  
"Okay okay, macho mouse, enough with the bragging, alright."  
"Hey! At least now you know you can't hurt me while practising. You're just way too slow and…", but Kiwi tensed the muscles in her lower body, making him stop talking immediately.  
"Sweetheart, that's just low…", he groaned and quickly pulled back.  
Kiwi laughed and adjusted her clothes while Vinnie put back on his sweatpants.

"How are things going here?", they suddenly heard Throttle's voice.  
They both turned around so quickly, they crashed into each other. Vinnie hastily grabbed Kiwi to avoid she was gonna end face forward in the grass and gave Throttle a innocent smile at the same time.  
"Throttle, bro! Hey!", he called out, his voice a few tones higher.  
He gave himself a inner scolding, because come on, can you be more obvious? But the words just left his mouth without thinking.  
Throttle looked at him suspiciously and Vinnie blushed.  
Kiwi quickly intervened.  
"Things are going… great! Yeah, great!"  
Wauw. Great save, Kiwi. Honestly...  
Vinnie bit on his lower lip to held back his laugh, and avoided Kiwi's look . Kiwi did the same while looking at Throttle, trying to be serious.  
Throttle raised one eyebrow and set his hands in his side. He sometimes felt like teacher while talking to these two.  
"You two do know this isn't a game, right? This is serious, guys… Maybe I should take over training for now…"  
Vinnie sighed annoyed, knowing the tan furred mouse was right. He was too emotionally involved. To easily distracted by Kiwi's beauty.  
"Ugh, fine..."  
Kiwi also set her hands in her side, now looking at Vinnie.  
"Now just wait a minute, don't I have something to say about this?"  
The white furred mouse sighed.  
"Listen, sweetheart. Throttle is right, this is serious. Clearly, I ain't the right person to teach ya this. But don't worry, you bike lessons will be with me."  
Kiwi let out her breath, knowing she wasn't gonna win this argument.  
"Fine."  
"And ehm… babe? Try to be easy on him, he's just not that good as me, okay?", and he winked at her.  
Throttle rolled his eyes behind his glasses and pushed Vinnie away.  
"Okay, get outta here, before I decide to use you as a example boxball…"  
Vinnie saluted, but before he walked away, he leaned forward.  
"We really should do that more often, sweetheart. I love that little wild side of yours.. such a turn on..." he whispered in Kiwi's ear and he set his teeth in her earlobe.  
Kiwi's head became redder than a fully grown tomato and Vinnie quickly left, laughing loud.  
Throttle shook his head and focussed on Kiwi again.  
"Okay, let's begin."

The next few weeks, Kiwi's training slowly progressed. Modo and Throttle trained her fighting skills while Vinnie tried to make her feel comfortable with riding a bike. But that wasn't easy. Ther trauma ran deep, he could tell. But step by step, she was getting more confident. Limburger had been silent since the last time they trashed his building, but they knew it was now only a matter of time before he was gonna try something again. The mice did some extra patrols next to Kiwi's training. But so far, there were no problems.  
No.  
Not until today. At first, it just looked like a normal day. Another scheme, nothing major. But they had no idea what kinda shitstorm was about to come down on them. Because if they knew, they would've done things differently. You just can't look into the future. But this was one of these days you wish you could.

"Ah man, I'm just tired of itching along!", Vinnie called out annoyed, holding himself back from firing his jets and just jump over the roofs of the long line of cars that was ahead of them. They were an another patrol, but traffic was slow. The whole town seemed to be on the road and the mice got stuck into a huge traffic jam because of the upcoming intersection.  
"I need some movement… and fast!", the white furred mouse whined.  
Throttle was about to react, when they suddenly heard the loud noise of crashing cars and screaming people. The cars in front of them suddenly flew forward and crashed against the other cars in the line. Streetlights were ripped outta the ground. Metal trash cans flew through the air.  
"What the…", Vinnie started, but his bike suddenly sped forward, straight towards the other cars. Throttle and Modo followed him, not that they had a choice.  
"Wow, something got control over all the vehicles!", Throttle squeezed out between clenched teeth, using all his strength to take back control over his bike.  
"You call this control?", Modo growled, also having a hard time with his bike.  
"Anker down, bro's!", Throttle ordered and all three of them fired a rope outta the back of their bikes.  
The ropes whirled around the one streetlight that was still standing. The whole thing bend, but luckily for the mice, it remained on its place. Right before the intersection, the bikes came to a halt. Good thing too, because cars came outta every direction, crashing against each other. You don't wanna get between that when you're on a bike. Not even when you were a macho Martian Mouse.  
"We gotta turn this into a controlled drive, bro's. It seems that the bikes are being pulled that way", Throttle pointed at the road ahead of them. "On my mark, cut loose and fire jets."  
Modo and Vinnie nodded, grabbing the handlebars of their bikes tightly.  
"NOW!"  
The engines of the bikes roared and they jumped over the pile of cars that was in the middle of the intersection. When they landed, they hit the accelerator.  
"Yush, it worked!", Vinnie cheered, feeling a little bit more in control now. Even if there was only one way to go, he finally could gain some speed.  
"Now, let's find out what the hell is going on here", Throttle said.  
"I got me a feeling what is… Limburger…", Modo growled, his eye glowing red.

Suddenly, four tow trucks drove towards them, with Greasepit behind the wheel of tone he middle ones.  
"Battle mode, bro's. It's that oil leaking buffoon", Throttle ordered, his husky voice even lower.  
He was clearly not amused. But hey, no surprise there. They were here to keep the town safe, after all. And look at the chaos it was now. He didn't even wanna think about how many people got hurt today, let alone how many of them died.  
The mice opened fire.  
"Why can they drive the other way with that lousy vehicle of theirs?", Modo wondered out loud.  
"I dunno and I don't care. As long as that gives me a chance to blow something up, I ain't complaining!", Vinnie answered, aiming his lasers at the tires of one of the trucks. He fired and the tires exploded with a loud bang, making the truck outta control and crashing against a building next to the road.  
"AAAOOWW!", Vinnie cheered.  
But his victory was short. The trucks stopped all of a sudden and the mice were still pulled towards them. It seemed that whatever was controlling them, became even stronger. Suddenly, the bikes crashed against some kinda invisible wall and the mice flew off, feeling some kind of strange pressure pulling them away from the bikes. Vinnie and Throttle landed on the pile of cars at the intersection. Vinnie tried to move, but he couldn't. It felt the same way when Lectromac had held them against the wall.  
"Ah man, don't you just hate getting stuck in traffic", he growled annoyed.  
But if he thought _he_ was having a hard time, than Modo was in deep trouble. The gray furred giant was lying on the ground and his metal arm seemed to be glued to the road. He couldn't get loose, even if he used all of his strength.  
"Oh momma… You always told me not to play in traffic…", he groaned, still pulling on his arm. He suddenly heard a loud honk behind him and he looked over his shoulder. His one eye grew big. A huge truck, that was also outta control, was driving towards him.  
"I knew I should've listened!", Modo yelled, redoubling his effort to get loose. But it was no use.  
"Time to divide… and conquer!"  
His flesh hand found the little switch that was hidden under his shoulder path and his metal arm came loose from his body. He quickly jumped outta the way. Right in time. The truck past by, crushing his metal arm under its tires.

Meanwhile, the remaining three tow trucks came into movement again and drove towards Vinnie and Throttle.  
Vinnie whistled between his teeth.  
"Yo bikes!"  
"Bumper shoot manoeuvre number four!", Throttle ordered.  
The bikes fired their lasers and the beams hit a mailbox that was standing next to the road. It bounced back, straight towards the tow trucks. It hit the rear-view mirror from the middle truck, and the beam split, one going left, one going right. The two trucks that were driving next to the middle one, got hit and outta control. They eventually crashed against a small van that was standing close by and suddenly, the mice could move again.  
Vinnie and Throttle were still trying to get free, and because the invisible pressure was gone all of a sudden, they fell on the floor. Greasepit came straight towards them. But right before the truck hit them, the two mice jumped outta the way. Vinnie finally saw a chance to get rid of all this adrenaline and in one movement, he jumped at the back of the car. He climbed into the small crane that was at the back and grabbed the chain that normally was used to tow vehicles. He whirled it above his head like a lasso. Who said cowboy's were boring?  
"AAAAOOWW, yippi taya hooaaaoowww!", he howled happily and threw the lasso at one of the streetlights. He braced himself for a sudden stop, but Greasepit had no idea. So, when the car suddenly stopped, Greasepit's head smashed against the windshield.  
Vinnie chuckled and pulled down the handle that was attached at the crane. The chain got rolled up, making the car hanging upside down at the streetlight. The white furred mouse jumped off, smiling at Greasepit, who wasn't amused.  
But Vinnie couldn't care less. He quickly ran towards his bro's. Modo was sitting on his knees.  
"Bro, bro! You make it in one piece?", the white furred mouse asked worried, bending over.  
"Yeah, yeah… Basically…", Modo answered and got on his feet.  
When he turned around, they could see the damage that was done at his metal arm, which was now attached at Modo's body again.  
"But I dunno about my arm…"  
Vinnie felt a pang of sadness when he saw the sad look on his bro's face.  
Oh man… This was bad…

Kiwi was staring at the messed up arm and looked back at Modo. The poor guy looked so sad, with his ears and antennas drooped, his hanging shoulders…  
"I ehm… I'm sorry, Modo, but I can't fix this. I'm afraid you're gonna need a new arm…", she said hesitantly, not sure how he was gonna take this news. His ears drooped even further.  
"Where did you get this one anyway?", Kiwi asked curious.  
Modo turned around in his seat.  
"You tell her", he mumbled.  
Throttle, who was sitting next to Kiwi, nodded.  
"Okay, bro. Well, it was back on Mars. Man, it was the biggest battle against the Plutarkians. I told you before, we were captured after being caught into a big explosion. We woke up in the Plutarkian research labs. These slimy stink fishes had a low life plan to turn captured Martians into a army of bionic slaves. Modo's arm was one of their early experiments. But I guess it worked a little too well, since he could use the arm to shoot us to freedom. It worked better than those guill faces ever expected, especially that Plutarkians lab dog who made the arm… Karbunkle…"  
Kiwi's eyes grew big and she stared at Modo's back.  
"You mean Karbunkle made Modo's arm?", she called out surprised.  
Vinnie, who was sitting on her other side and had been silent the whole time, elbowed her.  
"Sssshhhh! Careful sweetheart! He's kinda touchy about that fact…", he hissed at her.  
Modo jumped at his feet and looked at his bro's, holding his damaged arm and his eye glowing red.  
"I say we blast our way in into Karbunkle's lab and force him to…", he started, but Throttle interrupted him.  
"Wow, wow, wow, wow, chill, bro. Old rubbergloves will probably just boobytrap it… No, no… we need something… smoother…" and the tan furred mouse rubbed his chin, while Kiwi tied a sling around Modo's neck.  
"Hey, no prob!", Vinnie suddenly cheered and they all looked at him in surprise.  
I mean, when Throttle said 'smooth', you wouldn't really expect Vinnie to come up with something.  
"I've got me one of those sure firing plans that guarantees my bro of getting a new arm. I mean, a real piece of cake, so smooth, I mean… soooo smooth... you won't be able to stand it…" and he smiled arrogant.  
"If he's gonna say 'trust me', I'm outta here", Kiwi whispered outta the corner of her mouth against Throttle, who chuckled. Then, he grew serious again.  
"So, care to share that brilliant plan of yours, Vincent?"  
"I just let myself getting captured and make Karbunkle built a new arm. Easy peasy."  
There was a silence for a moment. Modo and Throttle shared a quick look.  
"Okay… That could work, actually…", Modo started.  
"Yeah… But how are you gonna make sure Karbunkle will listen to ya?", Throttle mused.  
"No sweat, sweetheart. I always had a good way with words. I just let him think that it's his own idea, a way to take us out... Voila! No more boobytraps. That arm is as good as yours, big fella", Vinnie smiled confident.  
Kiwi shook her head.  
"No way, this is too dangerous. Who knows what Karbunkle is gonna do to ya when he finally has one of you guys in his filthy hands?"  
But Vinnie waved it away.  
"I'll just blow my way outta there, no biggie."  
"And what about your ehm… PTSS?"  
She hated to bring it up, but she felt she needed to.  
But Vinnie shook his head, a annoyed look on his face. He clearly wasn't amused she treated him as if he was vulnerable.  
But the thing is, he was. He just didn't want to admit it.  
Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, she's right, maybe…", but Vinnie interrupted him.  
"Ugh, I don't wanna hear it, fearless leader. I'm the right one for the job and you know it."  
Throttle let out his breath.  
"Okay, I'll let you do this on one condition; you have 5 hours, after that, we're coming to get ya."  
"Sure thing." Vinnie studied his nails.  
Modo nodded, a grateful look on his face.  
"Thanks, bro. That you wanna do this."  
"Why not? Being grabbed by the bad guys, getting beaten up, forcing Karbunkle to make the arm, smash my way outta there… AAAOOOWW, life as I love it!"  
Everybody in the room rolled their eyes. That's Vinnie for ya…

The mice stopped their bikes on top of the roof where they saw Greasepit and his goons stopping too.  
"That's the main power supply", Greasepit said to his goons, pointing at a small cabin on top of the building. "We're supposed to hook in this machine and then tomorrows, we got ourselves a real pretty little train wreck…"  
He started to unload the machine off his trike, laughing evily.  
"Train wreck? Why that lousy, no good…", Modo started, but Throttle stopped him.  
"Hey, hey, hey, hey. One thing at the time, big guy. First, we score ya a new wing…"  
"...and then we do the hero thing", Vinnie finished. "Yoohoo! Ey, slime face! It's your worst nightmare", he then yelled at Greasepit, waving at the ugly guy.  
"Ugh, it's those nosy mousies! Goons, attack!", Greasepit yelled.  
The goons jumped in their buggies.  
"Okay, initiate operation ' _snag me_ ' and look like ya mean it!", the white furred mouse smiled arrogant and sped away.  
Modo followed him but Throttle stayed behind, pretending his bike wouldn't start.  
"Oh darn… stalled…", the tan furred mouse sighed, trying the kick start, but of course, his bike wouldn't start.  
After all, it was Throttle who'd told her not to.  
Modo was driving towards Greasepit and the goons, firing his laser gun with his left arm.  
"Shoot! Not used to firing with my left hand…", the big guy rumbled, missing Greasepit and the goons over and over again.  
Vinnie drove up next to Modo, a smugly smile on his face.  
"Time to kick it into overdrive!" and he pushed a button on his bike. The wrong button, that is.  
His bike roared and suddenly started driving backwards. Vinnie grabbed his windshield to avoid he was gonna fly off.  
"Noooo, not reveeeeeerse!", he cried, pretending he lost control. His bike crashed into a few trash cans and Vinnie fell on the ground. His bike flew over the edge of the building, but landed safely on her tires and stopped next to Kiwi, who was waiting under the building. She patted the red racing bike on the side, smiling.  
"Good job, sweetheart."

Meanwhile, on top of the building, Vinnie was lying on his back between the trash cans. He kept his eyes closed, so called unconscious. He felt a rope whirling around his body.  
"Hehehe… Gotcha…", he heard Greasepit chuckling. Vinnie suppressed his smile. Of course the guy fell for his act. But hey, who wouldn't? He was the best.  
Modo stopped next to Throttle.  
"Man, this faking is harder than the real thing!"  
"Yeah well, then let's put the caper on this act", the tan furred mouse smiled. "Okay, Vinnie, you got 5 hours, remember? We will wait here, in case Greasepit and his low life army will come back", he said into the radio.  
"Copy that, fearless leader."  
They drove towards the edge of the building, followed by the goons who were firing at them. The pretended to be suddenly outta control and jumped over the edge. They landed smoothly on the ground and high fived.  
"Great performance, big fella. Now, it's up to Vinnie."

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I won! I WON! I never wins, but this time, I won!", Greasepit cheered. "And mom said I should've finished thoird grade… She's gonna be sooo proud of me…"  
Vinnie felt two pairs of hands grabbing him and he smiled.  
"Suckers…"  
The goons carried him down and threw him in the back of a van that was standing on the road below. But before they closed the door, they pulled off Vinnie's helmet and blindfolded him. Vinnie heard the doors closing and the van started to drive. Vinnie smiled in the dark.  
Phase one of the plan; check.

When they finally pulled off his blindfold, Vinnie was sitting tied up in a chair. He blinked a few times and looked around him. His heart stopped. He was in the lab. Karbunkle's lab, to be precise. Dammit. He'd hoped they would bring him to a cell. He took a few deep breaths. Calm down, macho mouse. This isn't Jester lab. More to the point; Jester wasn't even on this planet. Things would be okay. As long as he kept a clear head. No need to panic.  
Limburger walked in, along with Karbunkle. The fat fish had a very smugly smile on his face. Vinnie rolled his eyes, but then got back into his role of helpless mouse.  
"Please don't touch me! I'm not good with pain! Puhleeaaaseee…", he cried, his eyes wide open in so called fear. "Please don't make me to tell ya the secret Biker Mice weapon…"  
Then, he leaned forward as far as his bounds let him.  
"My bro's would never forgive me…", he whispered, a conspiratorial look on his face.  
When he saw on Limburger's face he got his interest, he leaned back in his chair and squeezed his eyes.  
"Ooohh, gosh…"  
"Ooh… my, my… Secret weapon, 'ey?", the fat fish smiled at the white furred mouse, who looked back, fear written on his face.  
Karbunkle held something in his hand and when he pushed the button, a sharp looking instrument came out. Vinnie's heart started to beat faster, feeling a hint of panic. He used it to make his performance even more genuine.  
"Well, yeah, Modo's bionic arm!", he blurted out. "If you would make robot arms like that for your goons, I think they can wipe the floor with us…"  
He fell silent for a moment, but then his eyes grew big again.  
"Oops! Oohhh, gosh… Now I've said too much…"  
"Hmmmm… Robot arms… interesting…", Limburger said, rubbing his chin.  
Vinnie decided they needed the final push.  
"Of course, maybe Karbunkle's getting _too_ old and feeble minded to built anything _that_ cool nowadays… "  
"Why you simple minded little sewer rat, I'll…", Karbunkle started angry, but Limburger stopped him.  
"I believe our overbiting friend here provided a excellent idea…"  
Vinnie let his ears droop and he looked down.  
"Oh… I just hate myself…"  
"In fact, why stop at nearly a robot arm…", Limburger continued. "Why not built a entire robot mouse?"  
Vinnie's head jerked up.  
"What? A whole mouse? Oh, no, no, no, no… I didn't mean that... ", he stuttered. Ah man. His plan clearly needed a little more work…

After a few hours, there was standing a complete robot mouse in the lab. Karbunkle worked fast, Vinnie had to give him that. But it still had taken a few hours and that was a lot of time when you were sitting tied up on a chair. He wasn't sure what to think about all this. He'd thought he'd a good plan. But by the looks of things, it was gonna backfire on him. And what was Karbunkle gonna do with him when he was done with the robot? He'd no idea, but he'd the nagging feeling he wasn't gonna like the answer. And that for the first time in his life, his impulsivity was gonna cost him something. He just hoped it wasn't gonna be his life. He was just way too cool to die.  
Limburger walked back into the lab and Karbunkle turned around.  
"Behold! The Verminator… This should really give that furred faced Freedom Fighters a fight if they should attempt to derail our magneto disruptor!"  
"Excellent, my dear doctor!", Limburger smiled satisfied.  
"I don't think it's _that_ cool", Vinnie snarled.  
"Now… We just need one more tiny little ingredient…", Limburger said, while turning around and grabbing Vinnie by the chin.  
Vinnie tried to get outta his grip, but the fish was strong, alright.  
"You."  
Vinnie stopped struggling and looked at Limburger.  
"Huh?"  
"Oooooh, didn't I mention? How thoughtless of me… The plan is that you will have the honor of supplying the Verminator's brain power. You see, the Verminator will have your skills, your brazyness, your memories and even your… ugh… personality…", and Limburger poked his finger in Vinnie's chest. "It will be everything you are and more, but filtered through Karbunkle's evil accelerator and totally under my control."  
Vinnie shook his head in anger.  
"That will never happen, never! You'll never have me!"  
"Oh but my dear mouse… It's not that you really have a choice… Karbunkle, make him ready. Maybe Jester can help you with this one. Ciao, mousie!"  
Limburger walked away, but Vinnie sat frozen on his seat.  
Did Limburger just say... _Jester_?  
Karbunkle pushed a button on his desk.  
"Jester, get your moronic ass over to the lab, now!"  
No. Fucking. Way.  
Jester was here?  
Vinnie's heart started to beat so fast, he was scared it was gonna explode. His hands turned sweaty and his muscles started to vibrate under his skin. How was this even possible? God, if he had knew this… But there was no way he could've known.  
Maybe he heard it wrong. Yeah, that's probably it. Relieve flooded through his body. Yeah. There was no way that Jester was here, no fucking w…  
A humming sound filled the lab. Vinnie froze. He would recognize that sound everywhere. It made his fur stand straight up. He slowly turned his head in the way of the sound. And there he was. The person that was still haunting his worst nightmares. One he'd hoped he would never see again.  
But here he was, tied up. And Jester was here.  
"Mousie, meet Jester, my intern…", Karbunkle cackled.  
Jester walked closer, still humming and Vinnie could only stare at him, completely paralyzed by fear.  
The small fish stopped next to Vinnie and smiled. Vinnie suddenly felt the weird urge to cry when he saw that insane smile.  
God, why?  
His breathing became heavier and heavier, he almost started to hyperventilate. He knew he needed to keep his calm, but his body just took over. Fear took over.  
"You two know each other?", Karbunkle asked, looking at the white furred mouse his reaction with suspicion written on his face.  
Vinnie said nothing. Jester studied the white mouse and suddenly, his smile became even bigger.  
"Ah! It's you! The mouse with the messed up face! I performed surgery on you. And you wanted to be friends with me…"  
It was as if he slapped Vinnie in the face. The white furred mouse's face darkened and he finally found his voice again.  
"Ugh, come on! I would never be friends with you. I fucking hate your guts. And you're the worst doctor I ever met…"  
"Oh you, silly you. I remember your fighting spirit. This one is the right one for the job, Dr. Karbunkle. Trust me."  
Vinnie took a deep breath, but his voice was still shaky.  
"What are you gonna do with me?"  
He had no idea why he just asked that, since he didn't even wanna know the answer. But the words had left his mouth before he could stop them.  
Jester smiled that insane smile of his.  
"We… are gonna have some fun! In order to have your brain control the robot, I need to place electrodes in your brain."  
Vinnie's heart skipped a beat.  
"It's the first time for me to perform such surgery. But I'm sure Dr. Karbunkle will help me to have steady hands… Don't worry, mousie. You're in good hands…"  
Vinnie could only stare at him, pure fear taking over his body.  
No.  
Not again.  
He couldn't do this all over again.  
He'd survived once, but could he survive again?  
No.  
"Please… just kill me…", he whispered.

"I don't feel good about this, guys… It's taking too long…", Kiwi said while pacing through the small parking attended cottage that was standing on the roof of the building. Throttle and Modo were looking outside, keeping a close watch on their surrounding. They weren't that worried about Vinnie yet, they knew their younger bro could take care of himself. Well, most of the time, that is.  
"It's only been a few hours, Kiwi ma'am. I'm sure he's doing fine", Modo said without looking back.  
"How in the world could we let him do this? I mean, this plan, it's crazy!", Kiwi spit out.  
She had no idea why, but just a few minutes ago, she'd felt a fear going through her body, it just wasn't normal. Before that, she'd been quit relaxed. But now… Her heart was racing. Her whole body was sweating. She had a hard time to control her breathing. She'd never felt this scared. And she had no idea why. Something was wrong.  
"I just feel… Something is wrong, guys, I just…", she stuttered, not knowing how to tell them this without sounding like a complete freak.  
"Easy now, Kiwi. Let's give him some more time. That's the plan, after all", Throttle said calm.  
But Kiwi whirled around.  
"Throttle, you don't understand! I feel this fear… this anxiety… it's not normal. I don't know where it's coming from, but I just _know_ something is wrong with Vinnie. Very wrong. Look at my hands", and she stretched her arms, showing them her shaking hands.  
Throttle finally looked over his shoulder and studied her face. She was right. She looked like shit all of a sudden. That's weird…  
He turned around and walked closer to her. He could see her hair was already getting wet from sweat. Gently, he grabbed her hand and felt her pulse. Her heart was racing.  
"What's wrong with me, Throttle?", Kiwi pleaded, somehow scared of having no control over her body. The fear she was feeling made her wanna hide somewhere and never come out.  
Throttle rubbed his chin and looked at Modo for a second. The gray furred giant shrugged, clearly having no idea what was wrong.  
"I wonder…", the tan furred mouse suddenly said, studying Kiwi.  
"What?", she almost yelled, her voice high of panic.  
"Maybe you're connected to Vinnie. I mean, it's not a rare thing under Martian Mice. You remember we told you about the Mind Walkers?"  
Kiwi shook her head in confusion.  
"You're not making any sense, Throttle. First, I'm not a Martian Mouse, obviously, and second, I don't even have that part in my brain nor I have antennas. This is bullshit."  
But Modo rubbed his chin.  
"You could be right, bro… I mean, look at her…"  
Throttle nodded.  
"Kiwi, listen to me. I know how weird this may sound, but I do think you guys are connected. It's a Martian Mouse thing, yeah, but you're not just a human. You're special. Sometimes it even feels as if your life goal is to meet us… And as far as I know, you're the first human who's in a relation with a Martian Mouse. How could we possibly know what is right or wrong?"  
Kiwi looked at him, her eyes big in fear.  
"What are you saying? That I'm capable of feeling what Vinnie is feeling? How is that even logical? I never felt it before, only that one time, but that was on purpose, I mean… I never felt _this_ before!"  
"Hmmm… Maybe you can only feel his emotions when they are very strong, I dunno, but…", he trailed off.  
Kiwi quickly catched up.  
"If this fear is the same fear that Vinnie is feeling right now, then he's in trouble. _BIG_ trouble!"

Vinnie was breathing so fast, he almost fainted. He was tied down on a metal table, completely helpless.  
Talk about a deja vu.  
Jester was humming that awful song, preparing for whatever they were planning to do. They were gonna mess with his brains. God dammit, how could he be so stupid? He'd thought this was gonna be simple. In and out. How was it fucking possible that Jester was here? His fur was soaked with sweat, his heart was racing in his chest.  
God dammit, he didn't like to admit it, not even to himself, but he was scared. He'd never been so scared in his whole life. Back then on Mars, in Jester's lab, he'd been scared, sure. But back then, he had no idea what was coming. How sick that little fish was. He knew now. And the fear had completely paralyzed him. After he'd begged them to kill him, they had only laughed and strapped him down at the table. He didn't even had the strength to struggle. He, Vinnie van Wham, had let it happen as if he was a lamb that walked into the slaughterhouse in free will.  
FUCK.  
He needed to get outta here. He suddenly could move his body again, fed by panic. He started to pull on the strains with all his strength, but again, it was no use. He struggled as hard as he could, but the leather belts around his wrists and ankles were too strong.  
"Let me go! LET ME GO!", he screamed, his eyes squeezed.  
Nobody reacted. Karbunkle was busy with some kinda machine and Jester was grabbing the instruments he was gonna need. The fish started to hum even louder. Vinnie let out a raw scream in frustration.  
"God dammit, you fucking freak, I said; LET ME GO! NOW!"  
The leather belts cut into his flesh, he could feel his fur and skin shave off, but somehow, the pain was a welcome feeling. It somehow gave him a feeling of reality in this cloud of panic.  
Jester finally turned around and walked towards him, a plate with instruments in his hands. Vinnie was breathing heavily, his muscles were shaking uncontrollably. Jesus, was this a nightmare? How could this even be real? It was Mars all over again. But it was real. He knew too damn well it was real.  
Jester sat the plate down on the table next to Vinnie and lay a hand on the white furred mouse his shoulder. It probably was a attempt to calm him down, but Vinnie went ballistic.  
"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"  
"Easy mousie, what's wrong with you? There's nothing to be scared of! Silly you, silly you. I helped you so well the last time. You know you can trust me, right?"  
Vinnie let out a humorless laugh and locked eyes with the small fish, his whole face twisted in anger and panic.  
"Helped me? _HELPED_ ME? You FUCKING broke me, that's what you did! LOOK AT ME! You turned me into this freak, this… this fucking freak who doesn't even know who he was before I met ya!"  
Tears were streaming outta his eyes, not that he was really crying, but he was so upset. The hatred he felt when he saw that insane smile of that fucking stinkfish, along with the panic and fear, it was too much. He couldn't keep his cool. He just acted without thinking.  
Jester held up his hands, somehow a sad expression on his face.  
"But I fixed you…", he pouted.  
Vinnie shook his head with so much strength, his ears flapped against the table. The studs in his left ear made a loud ticking noise against the metal surface.  
"You didn't fix me!", he spit out in pure fury. "You only made things worse, you fucking mutant. But if that helps you sleep at night..."  
Jester shuffled with his feet, a dejected look on his face.  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes. By the looks of things, Jester didn't like it to hear he fucked up.  
Hmm…  
"You wanna make it up to me?", he asked, his voice shaky and soft. He hardly could look at the fish who'd destroyed him. But he needed to get outta here.  
Jester looked at him, a little curious.  
"Let me go. Just untie me and let me go. Then I promise you I won't kill ya", Vinnie breathed, but he crossed his fingers of the hand that wasn't in Jester eyesight.  
The fish looked at Karbunkle and then back at Vinnie.  
For one small moment Vinnie thought he was gonna agree.  
But then, Jester shook his head.  
"No, no, no, no", he mumbled and put his hands over his ears. "Stop talking, you, stupid you. I need to focus. You don't want me to have shaking hands when I'm pouring in your brain, now do you?"  
Vinnie wanted to say something, when he suddenly felt something sting in his left arm. His head jerked to his side and he saw Karbunkle standing with a evil smile on his face.  
"What did you gave me?", Vinnie demanded, staring at his arm.  
"A little something to make sure you won't move during the procedure, mouse. The good thing is you won't be able to speak either. Because you talk way too much."  
Vinnie let out a scream and pulled with so much strength on the left belt, it suddenly broke.  
Karbunkle's face expression switched from evil to scared so fast, it would be funny if Vinnie wasn't so scared himself.  
He clenched his fist and hit Karbunkle straight into the face, making the doktor fly away. The white furred mouse quickly made the other belts loose and jumped off the table. He needed to get outta here, right now. But when he wanted to run away, he suddenly felt his legs became weak.  
"No…", he breathed. "You've gotta be kidding me…"  
He tried to continue his flee, but his legs became more heavy by the second. He stumbled to the door, but suddenly, Jester popped up in front of him.  
"Where are you going, mousie? We still need you. We need your brain for the robot. Why so scared? It was you who gave us the idea after all…"  
Vinnie shook his head while falling on his knees.  
"No.. I can't .. do.. this.. again..", but his voice started to fail on him.  
Actually, every muscle in his body started to fail in him. He bend over and leaned on his hands. He saw drool dripping outta his mouth on the floor, not able to hold it inside anymore. But the scariest thing was, it was only his body that was shutting down. He was still seeing everything crystal clear. He was still feeling the pain in his wrists and ankles from the belts.  
Fuck. This wasn't good.  
He slowly sank on the ground on his belly.  
He lay his head down in defeat.  
No escaping now. He had his chance, but he failed.  
He closed his eyes and let out his breath.  
And he did the one thing he'd never done before.  
He gave up. Just like that.

Before he even could process it, he was lying on the table again. Karbunkle, who had a bleeding nose, strapped the belts tight around his wrists and ankles again. Not that it was necessary. The white furred mouse was lying motionless on the table.  
"Let's begin. We need to remove his mask first."  
Vinnie's heart seemed to drop when he heard these words. But there was nothing he could do. He felt how one finger slid under his mask and suddenly, he felt air on the right side of his face. That's weird… He was wearing this mask for years now. And he felt so naked, so vulnerable now it was gone. He felt a hand by his pocket, putting something in it, but he had no idea what it was. He wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't. His whole body was paralyzed.  
"Your face is healed pretty good, mousie. I did a good job", he heard Jester proudly saying.  
Yeah, right. He'd only seen his face once, the day that Harley had gave him the mask. And no way he would describe that as a good job. Ugh.  
Vinnie felt they shaved small spots on his head. He saw in the corner of his eyes that Jester grabbed a scalpel. One single tear escaped his left eye. He was trapped inside his own body. He could see and feel everything, but he couldn't move. Another tear slid down. He felt the sharp knife on his skin, the pain when Jester made small cuts.  
It wasn't that bad, actually. It was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, in his soul. He felt so alone. So humiliated. So helpless. Weak.  
A loud buzzing sound filled his ears. A drill. Ugh, come on… He felt the pressure on his skull when small holes were made. It felt weird. His whole head vibrated from the inside. It almost tickled. But the pain was unbearable. But all he could do was lie there. Tears were streaming down his face, it seemed the only way for his body to react on the pain.  
"Now, let's place those electrodes", Karbunkle said.  
Vinnie felt something pricking in his brains, it was the weirdest feeling ever. Suddenly, the fingers on his left hand started to twitch and a huge headache came up outta nowhere. He wanted to scream. To fight his way outta here. But he couldn't.  
Another sting. Now, his other hand started to twitch and the headache became even worse.  
Another sting. His jaw tensed. His teeth grinding. But he had absolutely no control over it.  
Man. This was even more scary than when that fish was cutting in his face.  
Another sting. And the headache became too much. He saw light flashes before his eyes and a black hole slowly came closer. It consumed him. He felt everything was fading away. And he had peace with it. He just hoped he would never wake up again. Because his already broken soul was now shattered into a million pieces. He was beyond fixing now. And with the humming from Jester in his ear, Vinnie lost consciousness.

"We need to go, NOW! I can't take this any longer!", Kiwi yelled, sweat dripping off her forehead.  
After they'd found out about the connection, Kiwi's panic only grew and grew. This wasn't good. Her breathing was going so fast, she started to hyperventilate. Her legs became weak and she dropped on the floor, her eyes wide in panic.  
"Kiwi, easy girl…", Throttle said softly, kneeling down next to her.  
Kiwi grabbed his arm in an iron grip, her eyes wide open when she looked up at him.  
"Throttle, I.. I can't… breathe… What.. are they doing.. to him..?", she managed to get out.  
The tan furred mouse cupped her head in his hands.  
"Kiwi, I know it feels impossible, but try to calm down. This isn't your panic, but Vinnie's. Try to take over control…", but he knew, when looking into her eyes, there was no way she was gonna be able to control it.  
And that realisation made a shiver run through his spine. Kiwi had asked the right question. What were they doing to their younger bro?  
Modo was standing close by, a little helpless. Throttle shared a look with him, not knowing what to do for a moment. They needed to get Vinnie out, but they couldn't leave Kiwi behind like this. And taking her with them was obviously outta the question. Modo shrugged, a hint of panic on his face. But suddenly…  
" _Throttle_!"  
The tan furred mouse looked back at Kiwi, his eyes wide open.  
"I can't feel him anymore!"  
Throttle breathed in sharply and locked eyes with Kiwi.  
He saw the fear in her eyes and for the first time since a long time, he felt scared too.  
"Throttle… The fear is gone, the panic is gone, everything is gone… He's gone… No, no, no, no… Vinnie…"

* * *

Oops! Another cliffhanger!

Damn, this was again one of those chapters that was hard to write in another language, especially that part with the cars and stuff. Anywayz, hope you guys understand what I'm trying to say. Otherwise you should check out "The Verminator" on Youtube, hehehe.  
So, it sure was a tense chapter. Jester is in Chicago! From the moment I introduced Jester in the story, I always wanted to give him a comeback. And this episode gave me the chance to do so. But poor Vinnie, right? Let's just hope he's gonna make it, and if he does… well, what will be his mental state?

Please, feel free to review, very much appreciated.  
Till next time, and sorry for this horrible cliffhanger ;)

Ciao!


	44. Chapter 43

Hey y'all!

Thanks for the reviews, very much appreciated!

A little bit more quiet than usual, no problem of course, but I just wanted to use this moment to say to you guys that if there's a part in the story you don't like, you're also free to say that! Feedback, good or bad, are welcome! As long as it being said respectful, I can handle it :)

Anway, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty three**

"Does this mean he's dead? Please, Throttle, please, just tell me that he's okay, please…", Kiwi cried, clamping herself at the tan furred mouse.  
Throttle could hardly look at her devastated face.  
Her pain became his pain. What if Vinnie was dead?  
He looked up at Modo again, a shocked look on his face.  
The gray furred giant was staring back, his eye wide open.  
"Throttle, please… just tell me he's okay!", Kiwi screamed, her voice so high it made his eardrums vibrate. Tears were streaming over her face.  
Throttle finally found back his voice again and he grabbed Kiwi tightly by her shoulders.  
"Kiwi, look at me. I can't tell you if he's okay, because I have no idea what's happening right now. But back on Mars, we once made a deal with each other. Never _ever_ assume one of your bro's is dead. Not until you got the prove right in front of ya. So for now, and I know how hard it is, but for now we assume he's still alive, you hear me?"  
Kiwi shook her head and slid outta his arms. She rolled herself up and held her knees tightly, crying without making any sound. Her whole body was shaking because of her crying.  
"Kiwi…", Modo started, but Kiwi shook her head again.  
"No… You guys don't feel what I'm feeling right now. I feel _nothing_! It just felt as if he slowly faded away and now he's gone and that can only mean one thing…", she sobbed toneless, holding herself even tighter.  
"Kiwi, we don't know that yet. Maybe he's unconscious, or drugged, or whatever! I refuse to believe he's dead until it's proven otherwise", Throttle said stern.  
"God, I didn't even said goodbye! I love him so much and now he's gone and I won't be able to hold him ever again, to feel his fur, to see his smile, to look into those beautiful red eyes, to hear him brag, to see him ride his…"

 ***SLAP***

Kiwi closed her mouth in pure shock and slowly got upright, staring at Throttle.  
"Did you just hit me?", she asked with disbelief in her voice, touching her cheek.  
"You were losing your shit, I'm sorry, but you left me no choice. The thing is, Kiwi, living in a war means living with a lotta insecurities. If you let yourself make assumptions all the time without having the hard facts, you're not gonna be able to survive. Trust me, I know. So, see this as a lesson for now; don't _ever_ make assumptions. Don't give up before you know the whole truth. I'm sorry, I don't wanna be this harsh, but right now, it's important that you trust me on this one."  
Kiwi heard the emotion in his usual calm and husky voice. That made clear to her that Throttle was also fighting against the fear that he just lost his younger bro. It also gave her the feeling he _did_ take her serious, but he was right. This wasn't the time to collapse already.  
She slowly nodded, rubbing her burning cheek.  
"Okay. Okay, you're right. I'll try to keep my head clear…", she mumbled, a little ashamed for her hysteric behaviour.  
But Throttle ruffled through her hair.  
"Don't beat yourself too hard, Kiwi. Nobody said this was easy. You're doing a great job so far, babe."  
"Thanks…", she whispered, still with tears in her eyes.  
"Hate to cut this moment, but we got company, bro and ma'am", Modo warned them, looking outside.  
A black van drove towards the building.  
"Kiwi, you stay here. Modo, it's tail whipping time", Throttle ordered and mounted his bike.  
Modo did the same, but remained next to the window. Throttle quickly drove outside, hiding behind the small cottage.  
Kiwi pushed herself into a corner, her body still shaking. But her head was now clear again.

"Yeah eh, whese here for a good view of the trains", Greasepit said while stopping the van in front of the barrier and looking inside the cottage.  
Modo came into view.  
"Hey! Try this view, smile ball!", and he punched Greasepit in the face.  
It wasn't hard enough to knock him down, since he was using his left arm. Greasepit shook his head and quickly pushed the pedal to the floor. He crashed through the barrier, followed by goons. But Modo was ready. He fired his jets and crashed through the ceiling of the cottage. When he landed, the goons turned their buggies and tried to fire at him, but Modo was not in the mood to play games right now. He fired the laser on his bike and the two buggies flew into the air.  
He joined Throttle, who was standing next to the black van.  
"Come on guys, we're just getting warmed up!", he yelled angrily.  
The side door of the van slowly slid open and a huge robot came into view.  
"Ask and you shall receive, sweetheart", it said with a tinny voice. "The Verminator is at your service and I'd say… Let's rock and roll!"  
And the big robot jumped outta the van.  
"Now what the heck would that be?", Modo called out in surprise.  
"Well, off hand, I'd say it looks like your new mechanical arm, bro. But it seemed to be there's a whole new mouse attached… And it somehow looks familiar…", Throttle mused. The robot looked exactly like a Martian Mouse.  
But…  
"Yoohoo, Modo, Throttle…", the robot yelled and waved at them. "Ready to get… trashed?", and it raised both mechanical arms, opening fire at the two mice.  
They quickly made a hasty retreat.  
" _WOW_! How is that thing know our name?", Modo yelled, while popping a wheelie.  
"Well, our reputation obviously preceded us…", Throttle answered and regrouped with his bro.  
"Attack move forty seven A!", he then ordered.  
They split up and turned their bikes towards the robot. They both fired a rope with hook, but the robot seemed prepared and grabbed both ropes before it could do any harm. It quickly whirled it around a big pole that was standing on the roof. Modo and Throttle were caught by surprise by this and lost control over their bikes, since the ropes were still attached. They whirled around the pole and crashed into each other.  
"Hey! That was our secret defence…", Throttle squeezed out, sitting on the floor next to his bike.  
"Oh momma… That tin turkey knows what we're gonna do before we even do it!", Modo moaned, rubbing his back.  
Throttle wrinkled his nose and clenched his teeth. He jumped at his feet and grabbed his gun, his tail lashing through the air. He didn't get that easily angry, but this was annoying, alright. Also, not knowing where Vincent was and if he was okay made him on edge.  
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm taking him out!", he growled and aimed the gun at the robot, who somehow looked very smugly.  
But when his finger was on the trigger…  
"Oooohhh… I wouldn't do that, if I were you…", they suddenly heard Limburger's voice coming outta the speakers on the black van.  
Throttle still aimed the gun, but removed his finger from the trigger, while helping Modo up.  
"You see, any damage to our interesting little robot, will instantly destroy the tiny little brain that's powering it. The brain of your hyperactive friend…"  
Another door from the van slid open and Throttle's gun clattered on the floor when he saw what's inside.  
"Vinnie!", he called out, grabbing Modo by the arm.  
Vinnie was sitting tied up in a big chair, his body completely motionless. He had a bandage around his head and wires came out of it. Blood was clearly visible through the white bandage.  
"Jesus, Throttle, what did they do to him?", Modo breathed, but before Throttle could answer that, the robot walked towards them.  
"Hasta la vista, bro's…"  
Throttle now understood why the robot looked and sounded so familiar.  
It was Vinnie.  
But at the same time, it wasn't.  
Jesus.  
But no time to think. No time to even try to process what the hell was going on here.  
Because the Verminator raised its arm again and Throttle and Modo jumped at their bikes and drove away, right before the robot fired.  
And it kept firing. Throttle and Modo did everything to avoid the shots. But suddenly, Modo felt his tail burn and he quickly grabbed it, blowing out the flame.  
"Ah man, lucky shot, just like Vinnie…", he growled, hiding behind a big truck that was parked on the roof.  
Throttle joined him, panic written on his face.  
"Listen, we need to think this one out, big fella, there's too much at stake here!"  
Another laser hit the floor right behind Throttle and they sped away. The Verminator followed them, smiling.  
But when it raised his arms again, Karbunkle's voice echoed through the speakers of the van.  
"Not so fast, Verminator!"  
The robot turned around.  
"What now?"  
"We'll finish off those vermin later! Report to Greasepit for guard duty, as planned!"

Throttle and Modo rushed inside the small cottage, finding Kiwi staring out the window. She pointed at the robot, her mouth hanging open.  
"Is that…?"  
"Yeah. Well, his mind. They holding him in that van over there", Throttle answered shortly, pulling off his helmet and twitching his ears.  
Modo also pulled off his helmet, still a shocked look on his face. Kiwi slowly turned around to face them, her mouth still hanging wide open.  
"His mind?", she finally managed to squeeze out.  
Throttle only nodded, cracking his knuckles. He looked outside, seeing the Verminator standing next to Greasepit, who was installing that weird looking machine.  
"What do they want with that machine anyway?", Modo asked, still not knowing how to react on the fact what he just had seen inside that van.  
And he sure had no idea how to tell Kiwi what they had seen.  
"Kiwi, check the news. They were talking about trains earlier, maybe you can find something", Throttle ordered, still looking outside.  
Kiwi quickly recovered herself, but that took her a lot of strength. Giving the behaviour of the two mice, she knew something was horribly wrong.  
A part of her wanted to jump at them, to tear out their fur and demand that they needed to tell her what the fuck was going on, but another part stopped her.  
Did she even wanna know?  
She decided the answer to that question was no and grabbed her phone, opening the news app. She soon found what she was looking for.  
"They are opening the new intercity communityline, two trains will come together at the station below us... ", she quickly summarized.  
"Hmmm… So that machine is doing something with magnetic powers. My guess is that Limburger is gonna make the two trains crash. That will give enough scrap metal for Plutark…", Throttle mused, rubbing his chin.  
Kiwi studied him. His voice sounded so different. He was upset. But like, really upset. She had never seen him this way before.  
"Well, then I guess you need to stop them, right?", she asked, not knowing what to say to take away this horrible tension that was sucking the oxygen outta the small cottage..  
Throttle ignored her, watching how Greasepit activated the machine. Then, he turned around and looked at Modo.  
The gray furred giant put back on his helmet.  
"There's gotta be a way to get past metal mouth and fry that machine."  
"Yeah, I hear ya, bro. But we've gotta do something new, something he's not expecting, but mainly; something that won't hurt our bro…" Throttle's voice broke when he said these last words and Kiwi felt her heart sink.  
What the fuck was going on here?  
"Gotcha, gotcha…", Modo nodded, while mounting his bike.  
Throttle did the same.  
Kiwi opened her mouth, but the look on Throttle's face made her close it again.  
"Kiwi, you stay here, no matter what happens, you hear me? Remember your promise. You obey every order I give you. Now's a good time to start", the tan furred mouse ordered her.  
Kiwi slowly nodded, her eyes wide open and tears in it. Her lower lip started to tremble, but Throttle revved his bike, nodding at Modo.  
"Okay, big fella. It's time to rock and ab live..."

They drove outta the cottage, straight towards the robot, who immediately turned around when it heard their engines.  
"Hahaha, alright! _It's taaaaail whippin tiiiiime_!", it sang tinny.  
Modo squeezed his eyes because of the off key singing..  
"Oh ugh… gosh… that eh… that's Vinnie alright…"  
"Yeah, well, remember; aim at the magnet machine, _not_ the robot", Throttle answered shortly and cannons popped outta their bikes. They fired missiles towards the machine, but the Verminator used both arm cannons to fire back and the missiles exploded in the sky before they even could get close.  
"Hahaha! Pretty cool, 'ey?", it smirked.  
"Well… at least it stopped its singing…", Modo said, trying to get through to Throttle, trying to take away some of the tension, but the tan furred mouse stopped his bike and stared at the robot.  
Modo followed his gaze and his eye grew wide. The robot jumped into the air and after two somersaults, it landed behind them, shooting two ropes outta its shoulders at the same time. The hooks grabbed Throttle and Modo and they were dragged off their bikes. They both felt a hand grabbing them in their scruff and turned their head to look at the robot, who smiled.  
"Oh yeah, I'm one big pile of style, and don't you just hate me for it?"  
Modo and Throttle were struggling to get loose, but the robot was too strong.  
"Annihilate them!", they heard Limburger yelling over the speakers.  
The robot walked to side of the roof and stretched both arms, making the two mice in its hands dangling over the edge.  
"Deja vu, we've been here before…", Modo groaned, looking down.  
"Yeah, but this time it's for real...This is not my idea of a good time…", Throttle breathed.  
"Later, bromigo's", the robot said and stretched its arms even further.  
"Don't do it, Vinnie. We're bro's. Family…", Modo pleaded at the robot.  
"Ah man… I never thought it would end like this… being burned by our own bro…", Throttle added.  
The antenna's from the robot suddenly started to glow red.  
"He's not dropping us…", Throttle said thoughtful, looking at the robot with a frown on his face.  
"Maybe he'd forgot. Don't bring it up…", Modo hissed back.  
"Or maybe... ", and Throttle lay a hand on the robot's chest. "Vincent! Vincent, it's us! Throttle and Modo! Your bro's!"  
The robot squeezed its eyes, its antennas started to glow brighter.  
Throttle felt a pang of relief, maybe his bro was still in there somewhere. But that relief soon faded when the robot opened its eyes again, which were now glowing red and it stretched its arms again.  
Throttle closed his eyes, knowing there was no way out. He wasn't planning on shooting the robot, since that could hurt Vinnie. And he rather died than killing his own bro. He heard Modo sigh, knowing the big fella was thinking the same.  
The grip of the robot hands started to get loose, but then…  
"VINNIE! NO!"  
Throttle's eyes flew open and he saw Kiwi running straight towards them. The robot turned around by hearing her voice.  
"Kiwi… sweetheart…"  
Kiwi almost crashed into the robot because of her speed and lay both hands on its chest.  
"Vinnie, listen to me! You're a sweet, kind and generous guy who would never hurt his friends. They are your bro's, your family… Please, let them go. No one can make you do this, not even Karbunkle, you hear me?!"  
She looked up into the robots eyes, tears streaming over her face. The robot looked back and suddenly, it let go off Throttle and Modo. They both landed on their ass, but quickly scrambled back on their feet.  
The Verminator fell on its knees, eyes closed. By the looks of things, Vinnie was fighting the mindbender. And by the looks of things, it was working too.  
The robot fell on his back, smoke came outta its head.  
"Vinnie!", Kiwi yelled and kneeled down next to the robot.  
"Heeey, big fella…", the robot said weak, grabbing its right arm. "Lemme give ya… a hand… hehehe…" and he ripped off the arm and gave it to Modo, who smiled grateful. He quickly removed the sling and switched the arms.  
Better. So. Much. Better.  
"I guess… once a bro… always… a bro…", the robot said slowly and after that, it turned off.  
Kiwi turned around to look at Throttle and Modo, her face wet of tears.  
"Where is Vinnie?", she demanded, her voice low.  
"Modo, shoot that machine", Throttle ordered, ignoring Kiwi again.  
Modo did immediately what Throttle ordered and when they looked down, they saw that the trains could stop right on time.  
So, they gave Modo a new wing and did the hero thing. Now it was time to get their bro back.

Kiwi jumped at her feet and grabbed Throttle by his arm.  
"I asked you something! Where is Vinnie!?"  
Throttle pointed at the van that was about to drive away, but Modo ran towards it and stopped it. But before he could grab Limburger, Greasepit drove past them in one of the buggies of the goons. Limburger and Karbunkle jumped outta the van and they quickly drove away. Throttle dragged Kiwi with him towards the van and stopped the furious Modo from going after the bad guys.  
"Chill, bro! Let them go! We gotta scoop out Vinnie."  
Modo nodded and Throttle finally looked at Kiwi. He took a deep breath, looking into her fuming blue eyes.  
"Vinnie is inside this van, but from what I saw, he's in bad shape. I need you to stay calm. For Vinnie, okay? We need to do everything we can do for him, but we can only do that when we're calm, you understand?"  
Kiwi started to shake by these words, but she nodded.  
Throttle grabbed her hand and they slowly walked to the other side of the van. But when Kiwi saw Vinnie, she forgot her promise to Throttle immediately.  
Again.  
She breathed in sharply and put her hand over het mouth in shock.  
"Oh my god…", she squealed, her body completely frozen.  
That he was in bad shape was a understatement. Her beautiful, sexy macho mouse was hanging in his shackles, his chin resting on his chest. There was a bandage wrapped around his head, with bloodstains on it. But the scariest thing, there were coming wires outta his head. Electrodes.  
Throttle squeezed her hand, letting her know to grab herself together. But that was hard.  
She slowly walked closer to the white furred mouse and stepped into the van. She reached out her hand and touched Vinnie's shoulder.  
"Jesus, Vin, what did they do to you?"  
She touched his chest, feeling his heartbeat under her hand. It was weak, but steady.  
"It was his idea", she suddenly heard.  
Her head jerked up and she looked at her right.  
A small fish came into view, with glasses on his nose, making his scary eyes even bigger. He was wearing a lab coat filled with blood stains and when he smiled at her, she felt goosebumps. She scrambled backwards, but forgot she was inside the van. Her foot suddenly stepped into nothing and she lost her balance.  
But luckily, two strong arms caught her.  
"Easy, Kiwi ma'am", Modo whispered in her ear, but his eye was focused on the small fish.  
Throttle suddenly grabbed his gun and aimed it at the thin Plutarkian.  
" _Jester_ …", he growled dangerously low.  
Kiwi's eyes grew big and she stared at the small fish. Jester? But what…  
"You know my name?", Jester asked, smiling at Throttle, while laying a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
Throttle felt his blood boil, he'd never been so angry before in his life. That lowlife scum had fucked up his younger bro and now, he was here, and had the nerve to touch him again. To fuck him up.  
Again…  
A red haze formed before his eyes, his tail lashed through the air.  
"Oh, I know you, alright. I know what you did to my bro…"  
His hand, that was holding the gun, shook a little.  
Jester face lit up.  
"Ah, so you must be the friends he asked for back then. I'm his friend too, you know? I helped him."  
"You helped him?", Kiwi repeated, her voice high in disbelief. She struggled to get loose, but Modo held her tightly.  
Vinnie was never gonna forgive him if she was would end up in the hands of Jester.  
"Yeah, I made sure his face was…", but Throttle wasn't in the mood for chit chats.  
"Now you listen to me, you fucking shrimp. I know what you did to him. I've seen it in his memories. You're one sick little bastard, aren't you?"  
Jester opened his mouth, his hand still on Vinnie's shoulder, but Throttle loaded his gun with a loud click.  
"I promised him something. That we would find you, one day. And when we did, we'd kill you… _I_ would kill you..."  
Kiwi breathed in sharply, looking at Throttle. She had never seen him this upset. He was furious. But unlike Vinnie, he didn't explode. No, he just stood there. But he somehow breathed danger. His voice, his posture, his… everything.  
Cold.  
Dangerous.  
Terrifying.  
A predator…  
A shiver went through her spine.  
Jester didn't know what to say, he obviously wasn't brave enough to stand up against Throttle. He was a doctor, no soldier…  
"Can you fix him?", Throttle asked between clenched teeth.  
Jester shook his head.  
"No, he's beyond fixing. You're too late, you…"

 ***BAM***

Jester head exploded and his body fell forward. First, it hit the floor of the van, after that, it slowly slid down and landed on the asphalt.  
Kiwi and Modo stared in shock at Throttle, who put his gun back in his holster and turned around to look at them.  
"I don't believe him. We need Ruby. And we need her now."  
Kiwi was still staring at him and he walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders in a firm grip.  
"Kiwi, call Ruby. NOW!"  
Kiwi came to senses.  
"Jesus, Throttle, you're scaring me…", she breathed while grabbing her phone.  
Throttle let her go, ignoring her comment. He turned around to look at Vinnie, but he could hardly watch it. Jesus, this was his fault. He'd let his younger and impulsive bro walk right into this mess. He should've known this plan was a stupid plan. He would never forgive himself if Vinnie would die.  
"Ruby, it's me… Yeah, I know I wouldn't call, but… No please listen to me… Ruby, please, don't hang up…"  
Throttle could hear the panic in Kiwi's voice, knowing Ruby was the only one who could save his bro. _  
If_ he could be saved, that is.  
Throttle whirled around with clenched teeth and snatched the phone outta Kiwi's hand.  
"Ruby, Throttle here…"  
"Throttle, I told you guys in that letter I needed time for myself, I…"  
"Now you listen to me. I don't give a damn about your problems, I don't give a damn about that fucking letter, because right now, we need you."  
He could hear her breath in sharply, probably shocked about his tone and attitude. But he couldn't care less. The only thing that was counting now, was saving Vinnie.  
"Jesus, Throttle, who do you think you are, talking to me like that?"  
"Vinnie is in great danger and we need you. Without you, he'll die."  
"And why should I care? Call Milo, ya know, I gave you his number..."  
"Fuck Milo. I only trust _you_. And you do care. Maybe you left, but I know you still love Kiwi. And you know what will happen to her if she's gonna lose Vinnie."  
A silence.  
Kiwi was sitting on the ground, holding herself. Modo was standing next to her, his tail loosely wrapped around her wrist, to let her know she wasn't alone.  
"So, are you in Chicago?", Throttle asked.  
Another silence.  
"God dammit, Ruby, this isn't a game, I…"  
"Fucking hell, _YES_ , I'm in Chicago! And just to let ya know, it's just low to use Kiwi to get what you want, but okay, tell me what's going on...", he heard her sigh and his heart lit up, completely ignoring her comment. He let out his breath and quickly told her what he was seeing.  
"Jesus, that's just… Okay, I'm on my way as we speak. Wait there, I need to see this with my own eyes to know what to do."  
Throttle broke the connection and gave Kiwi back her phone.  
"She's on her way."

"We need to bring him to a hospital", Ruby said, while looking at Vinnie.  
She'd quickly examined him, without saying a word to everyone.  
But now, she opened her mouth and the words that came out, made Throttle even more furious.  
"Jesus, Ruby and here I was, thinking of all people you'd understand. We _can't_ bring him to a hospital!"  
Ruby glared at him, not liking his attitude at all. But giving the state his friend was in, she could understand why he was so upset.  
"I know that, Throttle. I didn't mean the regular hospital. We need to bring him to my work, there I'll have the right equipment I need to find out how to safe that white furred bouncing ball, if he can be saved at all, that is…"  
Kiwi looked up at hearing these words, her face twisted in agony.  
" _Don't_ say that…"  
"I'm sorry, Kiwi, but I wanna be honest. They put fucking electrodes in his head, only god knows how much damage they made while doing that."  
Kiwi burst out into tears again, hanging listless in Modo's arms. He was holding her tightly, rubbing her back. But there was nothing he could say to ease her pain. Because he knew Ruby was right. And it made him feel sick to the stomach.  
"Your work? I think history taught us your work can't be trusted…", Throttle snarled.  
"Throttle, please… I need you to trust me, okay? I know that's hard for you, because I left. But trust me when I say I'm at your side right now. You exactly hit the right spot to make sure I am, but I think you already know that."  
Throttle took a few deep breaths and looked at Modo. The gray furred giant sighed.  
"I don't think we have that much of a choice, bro…"  
"Okay. Let's go then."  
And the tan furred mouse climbed behind the wheel of the van.  
Modo quickly dragged Jesters body inside, to avoid a human would find him. That would be something. Being discovered was the last thing they could use right now. He quickly fired his new arm cannon and the Verminator, or at least what was left of it, exploded.  
Him and Kiwi climbed next to Vinnie, and Ruby took place on the passenger seat. Ruby had told them not to touch the white furred mouse, in case the electrodes that were still in his head would move and cause even more damage. But Kiwi lay her hand on his arm, knowing that couldn't harm him.  
"Please, Vinnie… Keep fighting. I'm nothing without you… Please, come back to me…", she whispered, over and over again, tears streaming over her face.  
God, what if she'd lose him?

Ruby carefully removed the bandage. Vinnie was lying on the operation table in the OR at her work. They had managed to sneak him inside through the backdoor, while Kiwi was distracting the security. It was risky, but it worked. Throttle and Modo had helped her getting Vinnie outta that horrible chair and now he was lying on that table, under a few thick blankets, since his temperature was way too low.  
Throttle, Modo and Kiwi were standing close by, giving Ruby enough room to do her job.  
Kiwi was staring at Vinnie's face. His mask was gone. She'd never seen that part of his face, that part that was always hidden under that mask. The scars started on his forehead, making its way down to his cheek, where it stopped, right under his eye. On the side of his nose, there were also a few marks. A few lines of white fur were visible between the scars, but most of it was bare skin.  
It wasn't that bad. But Kiwi could understand he hide it. It wasn't pretty either.  
But she couldn't care less right now. All she wanted, was him to wake up and say her name.  
Throttle was standing perfectly still, looking at his younger bro. His heart was beating in his chest. When he looked at the scars on his face, he was even more convinced that his decision to kill Jester was the right one. Of course it was.  
And Modo? Modo could hardly look at his white furred bro. His heart was sore, seeing the scars only made his heart ache more. Poor guy. Poor Vinnie. He touched his metal arm absently.  
Ruby removed the last bandage and studied the wounds.  
"Hmmm… maybe we're lucky…", she mumbled, cleaning away some blood.  
She lowered a small device that was hanging on the ceiling and stepped back for a moment. Then, she logged into the computer that was hanging at the wall and a X-ray of Vinnie's head filled the screen. Ruby studied it for a long time.  
Then, she pushed the device backup and opened a hatch in the wall. Another device came out and she pointed it at Vinnie's head. After a few minutes, the device beeped and she pushed it back inside. She focussed on the computer again, now looking at some kinda scan from Vinnie's brains.  
Kiwi hardly could take the tension anymore, but then Ruby turned around.  
"I'm not gonna lie, it's bad. But I think I can remove the electrodes without causing any more damage. He's lying in a coma right now, and we can only find out what the brain damage will be when he wakes up. But there's a fifty fifty percent chance he will come outta this relatively unharmed."  
Kiwi let out her breath. It was good enough for her.  
50/50. Yeah.  
Throttle nodded at Ruby.  
"Do it."  
Ruby nodded back and slowly removed the electrodes, one by one.  
Suddenly, Vinnie's tail lashed through the air and Kiwi let out a yell in surprise.  
"Is he waking up?", she asked hopeful, but Ruby took a quick look on the monitors.  
Nothing was changed.  
"No, that was just a reflex coming from his brain."  
"Oh…"  
Ruby continued her work and when all the electrodes were out, she let out her breath.  
"Okay, luckily they only made very small holes in his skull, so I'm just gonna fill them with a special material we use for these kinda injuries and after that, I will stitch the wounds. But it isn't our main concern right now. I'll leave a few holes open, in case his brain is gonna swell. The next 24 hours are gonna be determinative. So, fingers crossed, guys..."

Vinnie was lying in the living room in the same bed they used for Throttle after his bear attack. Ruby had brought some monitors with her, so she could keep an close eye on his vitals. It was the middle of the night, but nobody was sleeping. Everybody was just sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. All completely numb because of the stressful events. Kiwi was leaning against Throttle, who had wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  
After they got home, the tan furred mouse finally calmed down a little. He'd apologized to Ruby for his behaviour, but she had lay a hand on his shoulder and told him she understood.  
When Kiwi had seen he was calm again, she'd thrown herself into his arms and cried for almost an hour.  
But now, she was empty. She felt numb. So did the rest.  
Time ticked slowly, every minute was one minute closer to a maybe even a good ending.  
Ruby was sitting next to Modo, but the gray furred mouse ignored her. He had no room for her now. All he wanted was to hear Vinnie's whining.  
God, all these time that white furred loud mouth had annoyed him. How many times had ne needed to tell him to stop? He'd lost count. And now, all he wanted to hear was that high pitched voice, whining like a small kid. Guess it's true when they say you only know what you have when it's gone.  
And so they spent the night.  
Sitting on the couch.  
Staring at the floor.  
All deep in their own thoughts.  
In their own world.  
Listening to the calming sound of Vinnie's heartbeat, beeping on the monitor.

When the sun slowly came up, Kiwi suddenly heard a lot of noise coming outta the garage. She looked up, a little surprised, somehow feeling as if she woke up after being in a trance for hours. Well, she maybe was. She looked around her and saw Throttle and Modo were asleep. Ruby was nowhere to be found.  
She stretched her sore muscles after sitting in the same position for hours and quickly glanced at Vinnie. He was still lying motionless in bed, his head wrapped into a thick bandage. She wanted to cry, but she was too tired.  
She felt empty.  
The noise became louder and she quickly walked towards the garage and opened the door.  
Vinnie's bike was acting all crazy, driving in small circles and beeping loud.  
"Hey girl, easy now…", Kiwi said softly, walking towards the bike.  
The red racer turned around and beeped again, flashing her headlight.  
"I know… You're worried too, aren't you?"  
The bike beeped again and Kiwi patted her side. The race machine calmed down and Kiwi took place on her seat, rubbing the leather absently.  
"He'll be alright, he has to… I mean, it's not that he has a choice, right? We can't lose him…"  
The bike beeped again and Kiwi leaned forward, grabbing the handlebars lovingly.  
She loved everything about this bike.  
Because it was made for speed.  
Because it matched her rider perfectly.  
And mainly because she loved the rider so much.  
She planted her elbows on the seat and rested her head in her hands. The bike beeped softly now, as if she also was trying to comfort Kiwi.  
"He'll be alright…", Kiwi repeated.  
She had no idea how long she was sitting there, sitting on the one thing that made her feel closest to Vinnie, when suddenly the door opened and Ruby came into view.  
"I was looking for you…", the red headed woman said and walked closer to Kiwi.  
But Vinnie's bike immediately revved her engine and the cannons popped out, making Ruby stop death in her tracks.  
Kiwi smiled humorless.  
"She knows I'm angry at you."  
Ruby stared at her, her eyes wide open, her hands raised in front of her.  
"Okay… You're talking to bikes now, too?"  
Vinnie's bike fired a laser close to Ruby's feet and the woman jumped in the air, letting out a scream.  
"Jesus, Kiwi, tell that thing that I'm not the enemy here!"  
"Aren't you?", Kiwi retorted, but patted the bike on her side. "It's okay, sweetheart. She's on our side."  
The bike beeped angrily, but the cannons went back inside and she shut down her engine again.  
Ruby let out her breath, but stayed where she was.  
No need to play the hero now.  
"Kiwi, I know you're upset and I know you're angry at me, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For everything. Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever did. But I had no choice."  
"There's always a choice. But I get it. Really, I am. You've been through a rough time, you needed time for yourself. That's okay, really. But don't tell me you didn't had a choice. Because you had. And you choose to leave me behind. And the worst part of it all was that you didn't came to tell me face to face, no, you wrote a letter. A _letter_ , Ruby. Honestly…"  
Ruby lowered her eyes.  
"I know. I was a coward. I couldn't look you in the eye and tell you I was going away. I'm sorry. And I just wanted to let you know that this isn't gonna change anything. When your white furred bouncing ball is back on his feet, I'm gone."  
Kiwi snorted, but nodded.  
"Fine."  
"I met someone, ya know?", Ruby blurted out after a long silence.  
Kiwi's head jerked up.  
"Yeah, I met him when I came back from Aruba. He's a really nice guy… Sweet, caring… and most important, no soldier…"  
Kiwi's face softened.  
"I'm happy for ya, Ruby…"  
"Thanks…"  
Kiwi suddenly felt guilty about her behaviour. Ruby had every right to choose for herself. And it wasn't that she'd left her all alone, no, she'd left her because she had the mice now. A new family.  
"Ruby, I'm sorry for… ya know… But… But... I'm just so scared I'm gonna lose him…", she whispered and burst out into tears again.  
So far for feeling empty.  
Ruby immediately rushed over to her, forgetting that the devastated girl was still sitting on a killer machine and wrapped her arms around her trembling body.  
"I know, I know, it's okay… I just wish I could tell you that he's gonna be okay, but I just can't… Because I don't know and I don't wanna lie to ya..."  
Kiwi held her tightly, her whole body was shocking from crying.  
She felt so alone. So helpless.  
Life suddenly felt so pointless again without Vinnie by her side.  
"I can't live without him, I just can't… God, Ruby, what if I lose him?", she sobbed.  
"Sssshhh… Try to keep up hope. I know it's hard, but he still has a chance, okay? This fight isn't over yet..."

Suddenly, Modo rushed inside.  
"Ruby ma'am, I think he's waking up."  
Kiwi jumped off Vinnie's bike and almost flew back into the living room.  
Throttle was standing next to Vinnie's bed and Kiwi almost crashed into him. Throttle quickly caught her.  
"Wow, wow, wow, easy Kiwi", he said softly, wrapping an arm around her. She grabbed him tightly and looked at Vinnie. The white furred mouse was frowning now, and his tail was moving from left to right.  
Like a clock that was ticking.  
Ruby quickly checked the monitors, nodding her head.  
"By the looks of things, you're right, Modo. He's waking up."  
Kiwi's heart made a jump and she gently took Vinnie's hand.  
"Hey love, it's me. If you can hear me, can you please squeeze my hand?", she whispered.  
For a moment nothing happened, but then she saw he was softly moving his other hand.  
Kiwi looked up at Ruby, worry in her eyes.  
"Is that normal?"  
Ruby rubbed her chin.  
"Hmmm.. It could be a result from the brain trauma. But no need to panic already, this kinda injuries take time. Sometimes, a patient wakes up…", but before she could continue, Vinnie's eyes flew open and he jerked upright.  
Throttle pushed Kiwi away and Modo did the same with Ruby. They both grabbed Vinnie by his arms to stop him from his attempt to jump outta the bed.  
Vinnie's eyes were wide open and Kiwi, who was standing at the end of the bed now, looked straight into them, but it was as if he didn't see her.  
"Easy, Vincent, calm down… You're safe…", Throttle said softly, pushing him gently back on his pillow.  
The white furred mouse opened his mouth, but only to grind his teeth. His eyes were still wide open, he was breathing heavily.  
Kiw felt a pang of panic, she hardly could look at him.  
"Ruby…", she said urgent, still staring at Vinnie.  
"Give him some time, Kiwi…", the red headed woman answered shortly, her eyes glued onto the monitor. But his vitals were good. Sure, his heart was racing, but it wasn't alarming yet.  
Vinnie was still struggling, but it wasn't that hard for Modo and Throttle to keep him down on the bed. It was as if the white furred mouse had absolutely no control over his own body. His movements were jerky, he kept grinding his teeth, his tail was stretched to his right… It was horrible to watch.  
A tear escaped Kiwi's eye, still standing at his feet, while Throttle and Modo were still holding him down.  
"C-c-can he… can he hear us?", Kiwi stuttered.  
"I'm not sure, but there's absolutely no harm in trying to comfort him", Ruby said, still looking at the monitors.  
Throttle used his left hand to held Vinnie and stretched his right arm, inviting Kiwi to come closer.  
She shuffled towards him and he wrapped his arm around her again.  
"Talk to him, Kiwi. Let him know he's safe."  
"V-Vinnie, I… I'm not sure if you can hear me, I hope you do… You're safe, love. You're home, and nobody's gonna hurt you…"  
Kiwi's voice broke, while looking at her sexy macho mouse.  
His eyes looked as if he was someone else. His teeth kept grinding, biting his lip in the process, his body didn't stop shaking… Drool dripped outta his mouth, mixed with blood, but it were his eyes that hit Kiwi the most.  
Empty. As if his soul was gone. Jesus…  
She suddenly felt her stomach turn and she yanked herself free outta Throttle's embracement.  
"I can't look at this, I just can't… I...No...", Kiwi stuttered, scrambling backwards.  
Before anyone could stop her, she ran away. She burst outside and fell on her knees in the grass. The whole world was spinning and she was sick to the stomach. She gagged, but nothing came out. She squeezed her eyes and let out a blood-curdling scream.  
If this was what was left from her once cheerful, arrogant macho mouse, than he would be better off dead. Death would be kind. Because she knew this was the last thing he would've wanted. Ending up as a lifeless plant, only alive because his heart was still beating... Forced to lie in bed all day, all night…  
Not going to be able to ride his bike ever again.  
Not going to be able to do stunts and brag about them.  
Not going to be able to pull her in his strong arms…  
No more love making, no more teasing…  
She was never gonna hear his low voice again. The voice that always made her feel calm, no matter how panicked she was.  
That voice she needed now more than ever.  
She would never feel the soft fur under her fingers again while he was holding her in his strong arms.  
That safe feeling he gave her while wrapping his strong arms around her she now needed more than ever.  
She would never see his ruby red eyes twinkling, with that mischievous glance in it.  
That look she now needed more than ever.  
She would never hear him say her name again.  
Hearing him say her name she now needed more than ever.  
And the worst thing ever… she would never see that smile again.  
That smile that meant the world to her. That smile, that arrogant smile, that made her fall in love with him.  
That smile she needed now more than ever.  
Her heart shattered into a million pieces. Had she just lost him forever?

" _I've waited a hundred years  
_ _But I'd wait a million more for you...  
_ _Nothing prepared me for  
_ _What the privilege of being yours would do…  
_ _Please… come back to me…"_

* * *

Man, writing that last part almost made me cry, can you believe that? But I just could feel Kiwi's pain…

So, let's just hope Vinnie's gonna wake up.  
Let's just hope his brain damage isn't gonna be that bad.  
Let's just hope he's gonna be able to get himself back on his feet again.  
But the burning question here is;  
Is he ever gonna be the same again?

Please, feel free to review and again, thank you so much for reading my story and supporting me.  
Means the world.

Later guys! Till next time…


	45. Chapter 44

So, another chapter is ready. Think the next update is gonna take some more time, just so ya know. :)

Thanks for the reviews again, a special thanks to SpaceFlora, DinoDragonMaster and Wolftattoo who review almost every chapter I publish. Guys, it means a lot to me you take the time, over and over again, to review my story. Thanks. Really.

As for the rest, also a big, big, big thanks to you! I mean, every review is much appreciated.

Enjoy this chapter! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty four**

Throttle was still holding his younger bro, tears burning behind his eyes. But no matter how hard it was, he forced himself to stay strong.  
For Vinnie.  
It cost him all his self control. Seeing Vinnie like this, well, it almost ripped his heart outta his chest. Looking at Modo, he knew the big guy felt the same. But Ruby kept telling them they needed to give him some time. His body had suffered a lot, they had messed with his brain… but she wasn't planning on giving up on him already. And that was just what the two mice needed right now. Someone who told them there was still a chance. Because they both were very close of losing all hope.  
Throttle lost all sense of time, but after what seemed to be a eternity, Vinnie slowly calmed down a little. He stopped grinding his teeth. His muscles seemed to relax. His tail was now hanging down as a lifeless snake.  
Throttle slowly let him go, rubbing his cramped hands.  
"There ya go", Ruby said, almost lovingly.  
Throttle studied Vinnie's face. And he almost missed it. But it did happen.  
He saw the ruby red eyes looking back at him for a moment. He gently took his bro's hand.  
"Vincent, it's me, Throttle. Modo is here too. Can you hear me?"  
Nothing happened.  
"Vinnie, if you can hear me, please squeeze my hand", the tan furred mouse asked patiently, hoping this would work now.  
Nothing happened. Throttle sighed. Maybe he'd imagined it…  
But then, he suddenly felt Vinnie's fingers move in his hand. His head jerked up.  
"Ruby, he just moved his fingers!", he called out.  
Ruby nodded, calm as ever.  
"That's good. Keep talking to him."  
Throttle quickly grabbed a chair and took place next to the bed, leaning on his elbows. Modo did the same at the other side of the bed.  
And they both talked to their younger bro. They told him the most stupid stories, everything that just popped into their minds. Stories about Mars before the war. Stories about when they had met the young white furred mouse for the first time. Heck, Throttle even told him about his grandma, how she always pinched his cheeks when he was there to visit her.  
Ruby signed to Throttle to continue and quickly walked to the yard.

She found Kiwi lying on the grass, curled up.  
"Oh, Kiwi…", Ruby sighed and kneeled down next to the girl that she loved as her own daughter.  
"I couldn't watch. I just… I couldn't. It made me sick. Jesus, what did they do to him…", Kiwi said toneless. It wasn't even a real question.  
"Don't beat yourself up too hard, Kiwi. It wasn't exactly a nice view. But I came to tell you he's calm now. Throttle and Modo are talking to him, and by the looks of things, he can hear them. I thought, maybe you wanna join them again?"  
But Kiwi shook her head.  
"No…"  
"Kiwi…"  
"I said _no_."  
"Okay, your call…"  
Ruby slowly rose on her feet again, battling with herself what to do. But she decided to give Kiwi some time. She knew her. And right now, there was nothing she could do or say to get through to her. So, she walked back inside, cursing softly that she'd to witness all this again.  
The horror.  
The pain.  
The sorrow.  
Dammit, and just when she was starting to feel a little bit better. But at the same time, how weird that may be, there was no other place she wanted to be right now, at this very moment. Because she needed to do everything that was in her power to save that stubborn, arrogant white furred mouse. Not because she liked him that much, but because his life was entwined with Kiwi's life now. And she knew perfectly well that if Vinnie died, Kiwi was lost and beyond fixing.

Hours past. Throttle and Modo had talked to their younger bro almost non stop. He was completely calm now. But his eyes were still empty. Throttle felt how his own eyes became heavy and he hardly could talk anymore, since his voice was almost gone after talking for so long. He saw Modo was already asleep with his head on top of his arms which were resting on Vinnie's bed. Throttle fought to keep his eyes open, but it was a losing battle. Soon, he was also snoring softly. Ruby was sleeping on the couch.  
It was this moment that Kiwi decided to come back. She faltered towards the bed, her whole body shaking. But when she saw the peaceful sight, she let out her breath. Her macho mouse, lying in that bed with his two closest family members at both sides.  
She stopped next to Throttle, who was deeply asleep and she hesitantly reached out her hand. Vinnie's eyes were closed and she softly touched his cheek, feeling his soft fur under her fingers. At the same time, Vinnie slowly opened his eyes. Kiwi's heart skipped a beat. And she suddenly was overwhelmed with the need to be as close as possible to the love of her life.  
She needed to hold him. To smell him. To feel him.  
She wriggled herself past Throttle and climbed on Vinnie's bed. She saw that Vinnie's eyes were following her and again, her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he wasn't that lost as she'd thought he was. She crawled under the blanket against his naked torso, laying her right leg over his. Letting out a heavy sigh, she lay her head on his chest, while wrapping her right arm around his waist.  
Home. She was home.  
His steady heartbeat filled her ear, his lovely scent filled her nose… And she finally felt calm for the first time since that awful moment in that small cottage on the roof. That moment she had felt his panic became hers, and even worse; that moment he suddenly was gone. She looked up, seeing he had closed his eyes again. His breathing was calm and deep.  
There was no panic now. Only calmth.  
She lay her head on his chest again and with a small smile on her face, she fell asleep within seconds.

Vinnie slowly opened his eyes. His head was killing him. He blinked a few times, but he noticed his eyelids were moving very slow. His vision was blurry.  
What the…  
He tried to move, but his body didn't seem to cooperate. It was the weirdest thing. It felt as if he was stuck in cement or something. He could tense his muscles, but lifting his arm, for example, was a no go. Same goes for lifting his head. He stared at the ceiling, trying to focus at one spot. His headache became even worse, but he noticed his vision slowly sharpened.  
His eyes lowered and he saw the top of Kiwi's head with messy black hair coming out from under his blanket. She was holding him tightly, but fast asleep. He took a deep breath, and her scent filled his nose. She was here. She was really here. He now saw Throttle and Modo, somehow curled up, into a chair next to his bed. He wrinkled his nose and soon noticed he was missing something. The comfortable, soothing feeling of metal…  
Fuck. His mask. Where was his mask?  
He tried to get up, but his body still refused to do cooperate. He opened his mouth, but he somehow couldn't find the words. It was one messy pile of words in his mind and he failed to create order in the chaos.  
Fucking hell...  
He was a prisoner in his own body. And that felt all too familiar.  
Slowly, the memories came back.  
Modo's arm.  
Karbunkle's lab.  
The robot.  
Jester.  
His attempt to escape.  
The horror that followed.  
And after that, darkness… Followed by some blurry memories while his mind was controlled by Karbunkle. He saw a vague image of him holding his bro's and Kiwi who ran towards him.  
But he'd survived. He had to admit, he was surprised. He thought he'd died in that lab.  
Maybe he did. A piece of him did. For sure.  
But here he was. Alife. But not kicking.  
Dammit…

Suddenly, someone popped up next to him and his heart almost jumped outta his chest. Not that his body reacted, but the monitor next to him started to beep loudly.  
"Wow, easy, it's me, Ruby…", he heard a familiar voice.  
His eyes followed the sound.  
Ruby.  
But how… She was here? Did she save him?  
He suddenly wished even more he could talk. So that he could tell her to end this. To ask her why she had saved him. To ask her why she just hadn't let him die. Gosh...  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. How are you feeling?", she asked, quickly examining him.  
He tried everything in his power to answer her question, but again, he failed. The words remained on the messy pile in the thing that was called his mind. It was so goddamn frustrating.  
Every time he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Jesus, this was humiliating.  
He gave Ruby a pleading look, one tear escaped his eye.  
"Okay, I get it. Let's try this differently", and the red headed human grabbed his hand.  
It felt weird to hold another human hand than Kiwi's. But it was comforting at the same time.  
He hardly recognized himself. Since when was he this… depressed? It usually wasn't his way of dealing with things. But this was too much, even for him.  
"Yes is one squeeze, no is two squeezes. Think ya can do that?"  
Vinnie concentrated and after a while, he managed to squeeze her hand once.  
"Very good. Now, trust me when I say you don't need to panic if you're noticing your body isn't cooperating right now. Your brains are damaged and it's gonna need some time to heal. I also want you to know that you're safe here, no one's gonna hurt you. You understand?"  
 _Yes.  
_ "Are you in a lot of pain now?"  
 _Yes.  
_ "I can give you something if that's okay?"  
She saw a flash of panic in his eyes.  
"I know you're scared. But you know I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you, but you need to let me, okay?"  
No.  
No more needles.  
No more suffering.  
Please, just kill me…  
Right here.  
Right now.  
Put me outta my misery...  
But the pain in his head became even worse, how that even was possible was a mystery to him, alright. But it made him squeeze her hand once.  
Ruby nodded. He trusted her. Somehow, that gave her a good feeling. She obviously was completely clueless about the real reason of his inner battle.  
She quickly grabbed a syringe with a heavy painkiller and walked back to the bed and took his hand again.  
"Ready?"  
NO.  
 _Yes.  
_ She quickly gave him the drugs and he soon relaxed a little, his eyes a little cross eyed.  
Ruby smiled.  
"Go back to sleep, bouncing ball. Your body needs it."

A few days past. Slowly, the white furred mouse was able to move his body again. But he hadn't said one word yet. Ruby told them it was normal, but Kiwi thought there was more to it. She had the nagging feeling her macho mouse was perfectly able to speak, but that he just refused. He wasn't himself. He was staring at the ceiling with that agonizing look on his face, his eyes burning with pain and trauma. He refused to eat. He refused to talk. He refused to do anything else than just lie there. It was as if he'd gave up.  
And maybe he did.  
Kiwi could only imagine the horror he'd went through, and that after all the things he'd already seen and experienced. She wanted to get through to him that he wasn't alone. That they all were there for him. But he didn't respond. He was just lying there. A shadow from the mouse he once was.  
A empty shell.  
It broke Kiwi's heart. But she knew he just needed time. Well, that was what everyone kept telling her. But what if even time couldn't heal these wounds? These scars on his soul? His beautiful soul… now shattered into a million pieces. Was he ever gonna be the same again? She had the nagging feeling he wasn't. But she tried to stay positive. After all, she knew how it was to sink that deep. To be completely surrounded by darkness. Back then, she had never thought she was gonna smile again. That she was gonna feel anything next to the immense pain. But look at her right now. Even if life was still complicated and there was still so much misery, she had found the strength to fight back again. And she knew Vinnie could too.  
But yes, these kinda things cost time. A lot of love. And she was willing to give him everything he needed, as long as that meant she was gonna have him back one day. She would do everything for him. Because without him, life would be meaningless and empty again.

That day, Kiwi was doing the laundry. Not something that she liked to do, but the mice were almost running outta clothes. Well, Modo and Throttle were. But she Vinnie could use some clean clothes too, whenever he was able to get outta that bed, that is. When she grabbed Vinnie's pants, the one he'd wore that awful day, something fell outta his pocket. It made tinkling sound when it hit the floor. She ducked and grabbed the metal, round shaped object.  
"What the…"  
"His mask…", she heard a husky voice saying softly. Kiwi's head jerked up while breathing in sharply.  
"Jesus, you scare the shit outta me, never heard of… wait… what? His mask?", she suddenly asked urgently.  
Throttle chuckled and walked closer to her.  
"Yeah, it's made of some kind of fluid metal. Really, it's amazing stuff for bike repairs and for your macho mouse makeover, Harley's words."  
Kiwi stared at the round object, it was very hard to believe such a thing as fluid metal really existed. But then again, she was standing next to a almost seven foot tall talking mouse.  
Hehe. Just saying.  
"Maybe this is gonna wake him up outta his trance thingy…", she whispered hopeful, looking at Throttle.  
He rubbed his chin and then lay a hand on her shoulder, a friendly look on his face.  
"You could be right. Give it to him, then we'll see what happens…"

"Vinnie? I've found something that I think you want back…"  
Kiwi held up the round piece of metal and Vinnie's eyes lowered, looking at the object.  
He breathed in. His eyes grew big. And he opened his mouth.  
"My… my mask…", he whispered, his voice hoarse.  
Kiwi fighted the urge to do a victory dance. Ya see? So he _could_ speak. She realized she just knew him too well.  
"Yeah, it was in the pocket of your pants…"  
Vinnie frowned, his eyes narrowed. How was that even possible? But suddenly it hit him.  
"Jester…", he eventually rasped.  
He suddenly remembered the fish putting something in his pocket, right after he'd took his mask... But why…?  
"What do ya mean, bro?", Throttle asked.  
Vinnie stretched out his hand and gently took the piece of fluid metal outta Kiwi's hand, almost lovingly.  
"He put it in my pocket…"  
Kiwi and Throttle looked at each other, a surprised look on their faces.  
Vinnie slowly got upright and started to peel off the bandage on his head. He obviously couldn't wait to put his mask back on again.  
"Lemme help ya…", Kiwi mumbled and quickly removed the bandage.  
She wasn't sure if Ruby was gonna agree on this, but right now, she couldn't care less. He needed that mask.  
Vinnie lay the metal against his face, and indeed, it suddenly came to life and wrapped around his face, and soon, his awful scars were back where they belonged, namely; hidden under his mask. He let out his breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He wrinkled his nose and a small smile appeared on his face. He somehow felt so much less naked because of the comforting feeling of metal. But then his smile faded again.  
But Kiwi tried to hold onto that small moment. He did smile, after all.  
"Better?", she asked and he nodded, lying down again.  
"Yeah…"  
He closed his eyes and soon drifted off. Kiwi smiled lovingly at him, adjusting his blanket.  
Maybe time could heal him after all…

 _A few weeks later...  
_ "Ugh, sweetheart, come on! I'm not invalide! I can do this by myself!", Vinnie called out annoyed when Kiwi wanted to help him put on his shirt.  
"Yeah yeah, I know. So that's why I find you here, with your head in the hole where your arm needs to be…". she snarled back, but with a loving smile on her face.  
"Yeah well, that's the damned shirt its fault, not mine", Vinnie said stubborn and with the logica of a child, still wrestling with his shirt.  
The white furred mouse was feeling a lot better now, but his body was still suffering from side effects after the whole event. He sometimes couldn't find words, making him stutter like a small kid that learned how to talk. His right arm sometimes didn't cooperate, no matter how hard he tried. His tail sometimes suddenly lashed through the air without him knowing it.  
But Ruby had told them it was gonna be okay in the end. It just needed time and training. But Vinnie wasn't really known for having much patience. And he pushed himself too far sometimes. It was Kiwi's job to slow him down, but that wasn't easy. But she didn't care. Because Vinnie was slowly turning back into his old self. And that was all that mattered to her. Even if he was testing her patience right now.  
"Argh, come here you, macho mouse. Just lemme help."  
Kiwi grabbed the shirt and quickly pulled it over his head. She saw him glaring at her, but she couldn't care less.  
"There. That wasn't that hard, right?"  
Vinnie muttered something under his breath, but Kiwi ignored it.  
She knew he wasn't angry at her. He was angry at his body. He just wanted it to be back to normal. It busted his ego, big time, that she needed to help him get dressed. She could understand that. She would've felt the same way if she was in his position. Besides, his body was his pride. The fact it sometimes still didn't cooperate, was hard for him to accept. And the worst thing ever, even if his recovering was ridiculously fast when you compared it with how long a human would need, it was going to slow for him. So, he could be one grumpy, tensed ball of fur and muscle sometimes. Which was a logical response to his injuries, though.

Vinnie never talked about what had happened to him. When she'd gave back his mask, he somehow had managed to scramble back on his feet. A few days later he was already walking around again, stubborn as he was. But he never told them anything about what had happened in that lab that horrible day. They didn't push him either. Time would tell how much damage this had caused, and they were not talking about his physical health. He already suffered from PTSS. This probably made it worse.  
But for now, they all focussed on helping their beloved hyperactive friend back on his feet. They were all very grateful he'd made it. And they were very happy to see him slowly transform back into his usual self. Because even if he could be a huge pain in the ass, he was here.  
Being a pain in the ass. Just like they knew him.  
And they wouldn't have wanted it another way.  
Ruby was gone again. But she did say goodbye this time. And that gave Kiwi the peace she needed. Modo hadn't talked to her about them. He couldn't. He was too caught up with taking care of his younger bro. And he had peace with her being happy. That's all he ever wanted. Maybe, deep down he felt heartbroken. That again, his chance of love was gone before he could even process it. Maybe he was gonna be alone the rest of his life. Well, then so be it. As long as he had his bro's, he wasn't really _that_ alone.  
Throttle was back to his old, calm self. But sometimes, when Kiwi saw him looking at Vinnie struggling with his trauma, she could feel his anger again. It somehow came off him like waves of electricity. But he managed to keep his cool. Next to this rare moments, he was calm. Just what they needed. But Kiwi couldn't help her wonder how much impact this had on the fearless leader. She just hoped he talked to Carbine about it. Maybe she would ask him one day. Yeah, maybe she would...

That night, Vinnie was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Weeks had past. Slowly, he was getting complete control back over his body. But ever since he'd woke up, he had this weird feeling as if he was living in the body of a stranger. It just felt… wrong. Maybe it was because his body didn't do what he wanted it to do sometimes. Ugh. Everyone kept telling him it needed time.  
But the thing is; he was done with being the patient. Done with being the poor guy who'd suffered. Ya know, that poor fella who was fucked up by the Plutarkians. Yeah… I heard they tortured him. Scarred his face. And if things weren't bad enough already, they also messed with his brain… Oh man, so sad…  
Ugh. Fuck that.  
He was done. Mainly because Throttle still didn't let him ride his bike. Ruby had gave the tan furred mouse the strict order to keep him off the road for at least 8 weeks. It was now week 6. And he yearned for a ride so badly. To clear his head. To feel the adrenaline rushing through his body again. To feel how it was to be himself again. But he couldn't. Not in secret either. Throttle had disabled his bike by taking out the AI and hid it god knows where.  
His older bro just knew him too damn well.  
He'd never really thought about that day in the lab. His mind had pushed it away, and he made sure it stayed away. Focussing on his physical health, to get back on his feet as quick as possible was all he cared about. So he could ride his bike again. So he could be himself again. But now, his mind wandered off. His heart started to beat faster and he closed his eyes. He saw Jester, smiling at him. Vinnie's eyes flew open again. One thing kept bothering him. Why had Jester put his mask in his pocket? Why should he bother?  
Hmmm..  
Maybe, just maybe, the crazy ass fish did like him after all. Maybe he did see him as a friend, how weird that may be. But it somehow fitted the profile. The small fish was insane indeed, but he somehow truly believed he was doing a right thing. He truly believed he'd helped Vinnie by cutting his face. Vinnie had the feeling the little shrimp didn't had true bad intentions.  
Not that that made it less worse. Not that that made Vinnie hate him less than he did.  
But he was dead now. Throttle had killed him. Exactly as he'd promised. And Vinnie had to admit, that when he'd heard the news, it somehow gave him a strange feeling of peace. One thing was for sure, that piece of insanity could never hurt him again, no matter what his intentions were.  
He rolled on his side. He couldn't sleep. His body was restless. His mind was making overtime. He needed some movement. But he was stuck here, there was no way… wait...  
Suddenly, he jerked upright with a big smirk on his face, but his body quickly reminded him sudden movements like that weren't welcome. His nose wrinkled when he felt the sharp pain in his brain and he took a few deep breaths. It slowly faded away and he slid outta bed, quickly pulling on his clothes and luckily, he succeeded without needing any help.  
Score.  
He carefully opened the door of his bedroom and peeked around the corner. But the guesthouse was, except for Modo's loud snoring, peacefully quiet. Meaning, his bro's were fast asleep. He tiptoed past Throttle's room and when he reached the door that leaded outside, he stopped for a moment and pricked his ears. But still no movement.  
Good.  
He pushed down the handle, but the click of the lock sounded as a gunshot in the silence. Vinnie froze, his heart pounding in his chest. If Throttle would caught him, he was in serious trouble. Suddenly, he couldn't hold himself back anymore and he quickly sneaked outside, closed the door and ran over the grass to the garage. He slipped inside and put on the lights. His beloved bike was standing in the corner, completely motionless. It somehow gave him the urge to cry, to see his bike standing this still. Normally, the machine was just like him, eager to go on a ride, to throw herself into a battle, to win a race... He shook his head.  
"Sorry sweetheart…", he whispered softly, his fingers slid along her side while looking at the bikes in the garage.  
He suddenly started to doubt his idea. What was Kiwi gonna think about this? It were her father's bikes after all and she was very possessive over them, not that he could blame her. But his restless body, his restless mind made him decide to continue his plan.  
He picked the heaviest bike that came closest to a race model.  
It didn't came even close to his own bike, which was the coolest, of course, but hey; now wasn't the time to be picky.  
While putting on his helmet, he took place on the seat. A big smile appeared on his face while starting the engine, knowing he had to be quick now. If Kiwi was gonna wake up from the sound, she was gonna be down within minutes. He pushed the button of the small remote to open one of the garage doors and hit the accelerator. The bike flew outside and Vinnie bit on his lower lip to stop his cheer that almost escaped his mouth. Even if it wasn't his own bike, the bike was fast enough and when the front gate was open, he made a sharp turn and finally, he was on the road again.  
Finally.  
He opened the gas and the bike roared, but Vinnie kept pushing her. Within seconds, he was driving around 90 miles and a big grin almost split his face in half. He opened the visor to feel the wind and he let out a happy cheer.  
"AAAOOOW, hell yeah, back in the saddle again!"  
He popped a wheelie and gained even more speed.  
Guess it turned out Throttle didn't knew him that well, after all… hehehe.

After driving for two hours, Vinnie decided it was time to go back home. He sure hoped everybody was still asleep, but he'd the nagging feeling they weren't. He'd shut down the radio in his helmet so they couldn't reach him, smart as he was.  
Pfuh, come on. He was Vinnie van Wham. He finally felt a small spark inside of him that felt so familiar.  
Fuck yeah, he was Vinnie van Wham.  
The baddest mamma jammer from this side of the asteroid belt.  
The velocity atrocity.  
And he wasn't _that poor guy who was fucked up_.  
No.  
He was Vinnie van Wham.  
Handsome. Sexy. Macho. The best.  
And a Freedom Fighter who couldn't be killed. A Martian Mouse who, after everything he'd been through, still was alive and kicking.  
He was invincible.  
He let out his characteristic battle cry and rushed back home.  
Deep down, he knew this was the adrenaline talking and that things weren't this easy. But it felt good for now.

He drove back inside the garage and turned off the engine. A smile curled his lips when he noticed he was alone and he pulled off his helmet, feeling so much better after this.  
But when he stepped off the bike, he suddenly heard the door open and he froze.  
"There you are, Vincent. I was looking for ya…"  
Throttle's voice.  
Shit. He was fucked.  
He slowly turned around, a faint blush on his face.  
"Well… Tadaaa! You found me!", and he spread his arms with a sheepish smile on his face.  
But Throttle didn't smile. He walked closer to Vinnie and grabbed him by the shirt.  
"You think this is funny? We were worried sick about you. After everything that happened, you thought it was a good idea to ride off in the middle of the night, without telling us?"  
Vinnie did a step back and tried to peel off his bro's fingers off his shirt, but Throttle slapped his hand away, still holding him.  
The white furred mouse raised his hands in his defence.  
"Bro, bro, relax… I just went for a ride. No big deal…"  
"No big deal?"  
Throttle's voice was now so low, Vinnie could feel his hands turned sweaty. He knew his bro well enough to know he was close to losing his shit. And that didn't happen that often. So, that kinda confirmed he'd fucked up.  
Big time.  
"I eh… Well, ya see… Ehm… Hehehe, well…", Vinnie stuttered, trying to find the words to explain.  
"I don't need to remind you that I _forbid_ you to ride a bike for at least 8 weeks, now do I?", Throttle asked, still holding Vinnie and even if his younger bro couldn't see it because of the glasses, he could feel his gaze almost burn a hole in his skull.  
"8 weeks? I thought it were 6! Silly me...", Vinnie squeaked, knowing perfectly well he was lying right now. Throttle knew too. He could see it in the ruby red eyes of his bro. But of course, Vinnie did what he always did when he was in trouble. He kept talking.  
"And technically you told me I wasn't allowed to ride _my_ bike, not _a_ bike… There's the difference, ya see? I…"  
"Stop. Talking. Vincent."  
Throttle tensed his grip around Vinnie's shirt and the white furred mouse could see a muscle twitching in Throttle's face.  
"Okay, okay! Geez, I couldn't sleep, I was restless and I needed a ride. And no, I didn't ask you because I knew you were gonna say no…", the white furred mouse quickly explained.  
"Of course I was gonna say no, you're still recovering, Vincent. Do I need to remind you…", but Vinnie interrupted him.  
" _NO_! No, you don't need to remind me, I was there, wide awake when they planted those fucking electrodes in my brain. I know, okay?", he breathed.  
"Then you know perfectly well your body took quite the knocking and you need to take things _slow_! Do you have any idea how worried…", Throttle trailed off, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "You didn't see how devastated Kiwi was when we found you, bro. If you can't take it slow for yourself, then at least try to do it for her…"  
He slowly let go off Vinnie's shirt and the white furred mouse immediately stepped back, outta range of his angry leader, adjusting his shirt.  
For a moment, they only stared at each other. Throttle slowly calmed down again, feeling a pang of guilt when he looked at his younger bro. He couldn't really blame him for wanting to go for a ride. Riding his bike was like therapy for him. And it somehow felt wrong to use Kiwi to slow him down.  
Because, truth to be told… Kiwi was still asleep and had no idea what was happening right now. It was Throttle himself who'd almost died ten times this night because of worry. He couldn't get the image of his younger bro outta his head that day he woke up. Jesus, it was just so wrong what they did to him, after everything he'd already been through.  
Besides, he'd never seen it coming. Vinnie was a master in everything he did, he didn't get hurt that easily. He did the most stupid and dangerous stunts and almost made it out without a scratch on his body. He'd thought this whole plan of his, to get Modo a new arm, wasn't gonna be any different. But it was different. Jesus, it was. And he came out with more than just a scratch.  
It had broken his heart. And it sure was a wake up call for him as leader. Vinnie had almost died under his watch. That was a hard pill to swallow, that's for sure.  
"Ya sure I need to take thing slow for Kiwi, or…", Vinnie broke him outta his thoughts. He'd seen the look on his leaders face. And something was bothering him.  
"Yes. Now, go back to bed, you need to rest."  
"But…"  
"No _buts_ , Vincent. Your right eye is almost staring at your nose, a sign that you're tired. Get outta my face."  
Vinnie saluted, a sarcastic look on his face. He wasn't sure why Throttle was acting the way he did. But he decided it was his problem now. And he marched outta the garage, closing the door behind him with a loud bang, leaving the guilty feeling tan furred mouse alone. And Throttle decided to keep this between them. He wasn't gonna tell Kiwi about this. He just couldn't.

Kiwi was cleaning up the house. She needed to do something to distract her mind, since she was worried about Vinnie 24/7 now. And it wasn't healthy, because her macho mouse was doing a great job. From what she'd experienced so far, she guessed it was now safe to say that Martian Mice _did_ have a quicker healing system. Because a human wouldn't be back on his feet this fast after such a traumatic event. But he still wasn't the same. And he was getting anxious, she could tell. All he wanted, was his body to be his again. So he could ride again. Fight again. Make love again…  
She shook her head angrily, not liking the way her mind constantly reminded her of the fact he was keeping his distance. Jesus, come on... The guy had been through hell and back. Recovering was already hard enough, not really a big surprise that sex was the last thing he was thinking about right now. But that fact just worried her. Because she was talking about Vinnie now. He was always in the mood for sex. But after all these weeks, he hadn't touched her. Well, not in that kinda way.  
Ugh. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, girl.  
She put on loud music and started with the kitchen. The mice were still asleep, they probably wouldn't wake up for at least a few hours, so she finally had some time for herself.  
Since she had speakers hanging in every room, the music was loud and it was just what she needed. She could feel her head slowly became empty, which was a very welcome feeling. And when she heard the familiar tones of "Pretty fly for a white guy", one foot slowly started tapping with the beat.

" _You know it's kind of hard  
_ _Just to get along today"_

Kiwi's whole body started to move, she just couldn't stop herself. Before her parents died, she'd loved to dance. Almost every weekend she'd been in the club with her friends, making fun and above all; to dance. It was her way of dealing with stress. She loved it. And now for the first time since she'd lost her parents, her body finally could feel the melody again and react on it, instead of shutting down.  
A big smile appeared on her face and she threw the sponge in the sink. Soap splashed in all directions, but Kiwi didn't care.

" _So don't debate, a player straight  
_ _You know he really doesn't get it anyway  
_ _He's gonna play the field, and keep it real…"_

Kiwi jumped through the kitchen while playing air guitar, having the time of her life since a very long time. She grabbed the broom and used it as a microphone, pulling her hair loose while singing loudly along with the Offspring.

" _Give it to me baby  
_ _AHA AHA  
_ _Give it to me baby  
_ _AHA AHA  
_ _Give it to me baby  
_ _AHA AHA  
_ _And all the girls say I'm pretty fly…"_

" _For a white guy_!", Kiwi screamed into her self made microphone and then used it as a guitar, while jumping around and bang her head on the beat, feeling as free as a bird.  
When the song ended, the heavy sound of a guitar filled the kitchen and Kiwi knew Vinnie had been messing with her playlist again. Not that she didn't like metal. On the contrary.

" _Killing in the name of!"_

Just when she was in the middle of pretending she was playing the guitar with her broom while headbanging, she suddenly bumped into something.  
Something furry. And a familiar smell filled her nose. She opened her eyes and looked straight into the amused face of Vinnie. His eyes were twinkling and his lips curled into that smile she loved so much. The one she'd thought she would never see again. But here he was.  
"Hey sweetheart… having fun?", he asked, his voice a little hoarse.  
Kiwi could feel her cheeks slowly turn red and soon, her whole face was burning.  
Shit. Busted.  
"H-how long have you been standing there?", she stuttered, quickly setting the broom against the wall.  
"Long enough to see you having the time of your life with a broom", he chuckled, winking at her.  
Kiwi punched him, feeling embarrassed from head to toe.  
He wasn't supposed to see that. Dammit, she was never gonna hear the end of it.  
Vinnie laughed and pulled her in his arms.  
"Gotta admit though, you've got some fine moves, doll", he whispered in her ear.  
Kiwi decided this was a lost battle and lay her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.  
"Are you okay, love?", she asked, worried as always.  
Vinnie shrugged, as always.  
"I'm fine."  
Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the moment. But then, she untangled herself and looked into his eyes.  
His sad eyes.  
Ever since he woke up after that horrible day, his eyes had this expression she hadn't seen before.  
As if he was broken. Maybe he was. She knew he was.  
"You're not fine, macho mouse. I can see it in your eyes... ", she said softly, laying a hand against his cheek.  
He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying her touch. But he said nothing.  
"Just know I'm here. Whenever you're ready…"  
He opened his eyes again and gave her a small nodd.  
Kiwi's heart was crying. She just wished she could take away his pain. His sorrow. His fear. But she couldn't.  
The last tones from Rage Against The Machine slowly died and after a short moment of silence, piano music started. Kiwi froze.  
Great timing, John Legend. Ugh.  
Vinnie gave her a little shy smile and offered her his hand.  
"May I have this dance, pretty lady?"  
Kiwi's head jerked up, that was the last thing she'd expected from that white furred loudmouth. But he was serious. For once. So, she decided to take advantage of this rare moment and she took his hand, smiling a little.  
He pulled her closer and lay one hand on her back, while holding her hand with the other one.

" _What would I do without your smart mouth?  
_ _Drawing me in, and you kicking me out...  
_ _Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down...  
_ _What's going on in that beautiful mind?  
_ _I'm on your magical mystery ride...  
_ _And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright..."_

Of course he could dance too. He led her with a smoothness she wasn't really surprised about and she could see how his face lit up a little. It gave her the sudden urge to cry. Her poor, poor macho mouse.  
So much misery.  
So much pain.  
But this felt good. He actually enjoyed it. She did too.

" _My head's under water...  
_ _But I'm breathing fine...  
_ _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind..."_

He let go off her back and gently pushed her away, without letting go off her hand. She made a pirouette, giggling a little and he pulled her against him again. He said nothing, but his eyes were twinkling and one corner of his mouth was curled into a small, arrogant smile.

" _'Cause all of me...  
_ _Loves all of you...  
_ _Love your curves and all your edges...  
_ _All your perfect imperfections...  
_ _Give your all to me...  
_ _I'll give my all to you...  
_ _You're my end and my beginning...  
_ _Even when I lose I'm winning...  
_ _'Cause I give you all, all of me...  
_ _And you give me all, all of you…"_

Vinnie let go off the traditional pose and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. He pressed his forehead against hers, letting out a sigh.  
She held him tightly, while looking into his beautiful, ruby red eyes.

" _How many times do I have to tell you?  
_ _Even when you're crying you're beautiful too...  
_ _The world is beating you down, I'm around through every move...  
_ _You're my downfall, you're my muse...  
_ _My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues...  
_ _I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you..."_

His hands slowly made their way up, gently cupping her head. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks softly and Kiwi felt a shiver going through her spine. His fingers weaved into her hair and he slowly bend forward.

" _My head's under water...  
_ _But I'm breathing fine...  
_ _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind..."_

She felt his lips on hers, smelled his lovely scent and a tear left her right eye.  
He kissed her, softly.  
Gently.  
Carefully.  
Lovingly.  
Not rough as he used to do. No, this meant something. He was giving her a message. Her body suddenly trembled, overwhelmed by love. His love. Throttle was right. They were connected. It made her heart skip a beat. He was really hers. And it made her the proudest girl in this whole universe.

" _'Cause all of me...  
_ _Loves all of you...  
_ _Love your curves and all your edges...  
_ _All your perfect imperfections...  
_ _Give your all to me...  
_ _I'll give my all to you...  
_ _You're my end and my beginning...  
_ _Even when I lose I'm winning...  
_ _'Cause I give you all of me...  
_ _And you give me all, all of you...  
_ _Give me all of you..."_

He gently broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against hers again. She looked into his eyes and for the first time since he'd woke up, she saw something else.  
Happiness.  
It was small. But it was there. Her heart swelled, a warm feeling crept over her.

" _I give you all, all of me...  
_ _And you give me all, all of you..."_

The song slowly died, but the two of them hardly seemed to notice. Vinnie's tail whirled around her leg as a snake and he let out his breath.  
"You have no idea how much I love you… How much you mean to me. I know I should tell you that more often…", but Kiwi lay a finger against his lips.  
"I know, Vin, trust me, I know. And I love you too, so much that I can't even express it in words. But you feel it too, right? Same as I feel your love?"  
"I do…"  
His voice was hoarse. Thick of emotion.  
His hand slowly reached to one of his studs. The ones she'd gave him. Her heart started to beat faster. He took one out of his ear and held it between his lips, while his hands gently pushed away her hair. She could feel how he took out one of her earrings, the one from her left ear. She held in her breath. What was he doing?  
He lovingly took her hand and lay her own earring in it. Then, he took the stud, his stud, and placed it in her ear.  
"There ya go, sweetheart", he said softly, while looking her in the eye.  
"Look, I'm not the kinda guy who wants to marry and stuff, it's against everything that I am, but… I do want you to be mine, forever. I wanna be with you the rest of my life, to love you, to guide you, to be there for ya when you need me… Always... "  
Kiwi's eyes filled with tears, suddenly remembering this whole thing with the earrings was the Martian 'ritual' to propose. But Vinnie gave it his own twist and that was exactly why she loved him so much. He was unique. He never did what anyone told him to do. He just did what felt right.  
"Vin, I…", she started, but suddenly looked at the earring in her hand. With shaking fingers, not knowing if she was doing the right thing, she took the black diamond and raised her hand. She put it in his ear, suddenly not caring anymore if it was part of the ritual anymore. She did what felt good. When she was done, she looked into Vinnie's eyes.  
"I'll be yours forever, Vincent. A small moment I'd thought I lost you. And it was unbearable. I'm nothing without you. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. Forever."  
Vinnie's eyes lit up and he gave her a shy smile.  
"Forever…", he whispered back.

Kiwi suddenly felt him tense, as if he was realizing this was no good for his macho mouse image and she smiled.  
So far his moment of seriousness. She playfully pushed him away.  
"So, where did you learn to dance like that?", she asked teasingly.  
A faint blush was visible under his white fur, just like she'd hoped.  
"Oh man…", he muttered under his breath. "Ask Throttle, he can tell ya all about the Martian culture. It's all about traditions, etiquette, blablabla. Boring, if you ask me. Ugh."  
Kiwi was kinda surprised to hear that.  
"What? I must say, that was the last thing I'd expected giving your ehm… well, ya know."  
"What? My beautiful studly body? My macho mouse image? My spotless reputation? Me being so badass you hardly can handle it?", Vinnie summed up with a arrogant smile, studying his nails.  
Kiwi giggled.  
"Something like that… But are you trying to tell me you had to follow dance lessons?"  
She saw a image of a young, white furred mouse who was tripping over his own tail and feet while trying to learn the dance steps. Her lips curled into a big grin.  
Vinnie saw it and rolled his eyes.  
Dammit.  
"Yeah, I was forced, okay? Time for breakfast, sweetheart!", he quickly added while opening the fridge, pretending to search for rootbeer.  
Kiwi shook her head, still smiling. She grabbed a few things and started to prepare breakfast.  
"Okay, okay. But lemme tell ya one thing; I like guys who can dance, crazy mouse."  
Vinnie's face lit up and he pumped up his chest, looking very satisfied with himself right now. Kiwi focussed on the hotdogs, very happy that slowly he was turning back into his old self.  
Thank the Mothers of Mars.

During breakfast, Throttle suddenly saw a red glitter in Kiwi's ear. He stopped chewing for a moment and his eyes grew big. Luckily, he was wearing glasses so nobody saw it. Then, he slowly turned his gaze back on Vinnie and saw he was wearing Kiwi's earring.  
Hmmm..  
He looked at Kiwi again, who was eating her breakfast with a dreamy expression on her face. So, she's wearing Vinnie's stud now. But Throttle noticed it was in her _left_ ear. Usually, when a Martian male asked his partner to become his through marriage, the earring was put into her _right_ ear.  
Hmmm…  
He looked at Vinnie again. The white furred mouse was focused on how to eat his breakfast as fast as possible, but what's new? Well, the expression his face was. He looked better. As if a huge burden had fallen of his shoulders. Throttle was battling with himself if he needed to ask about the earrings, when Modo suddenly opened his mouth.  
"Ya got yourself a new pair of earrings, Kiwi ma'am?"  
Kiwi and Vinnie both froze and Throttle smiled.  
Modo stared from one to another, not sure why they reacted this way. It was a perfectly normal question, right?  
"I eh… Yeah, I do", Kiwi finally managed to squeeze out.  
"You got something to tell us, Vincent?", Throttle asked, not holding back anymore now Modo had touched the subject already.  
Vinnie's head got redder than a traffic light and he shuffled his feet under the table, his tail lashed through the air.  
Modo's mouth fell open. He suddenly understood why they reacted the way they did. He now saw Vinnie was wearing Kiwi's earring next to his red diamond stud. Ah, so that's why it looked so familiar. He had no idea. He really thought Kiwi had bought herself some new earrings.  
Oops… But then a big grin appeared on his face.  
"Yeah, Vinnie, when were you gonna tell us you two are getting married?"  
Vinnie almost jumped up as if he got stung by a bee.  
"It's not like that, I…", but Modo waved with his metal hand.  
"Nothing to be ashamed of, bro. Congrats to you two."  
Kiwi and Vinnie shared a annoyed look and Vinnie opened his mouth again, but Throttle decided it was way too funny to tease their younger bro and quickly cut him off.  
"Yeah, congrats! So, when is the big day?"  
"No, you guys don't understand…", Kiwi now started, but Modo lay a hand on her shoulder.  
"If ya need someone to go dress shopping, I'm ain't the one. Just so ya know."  
Throttle laughed at the shocked expression on Kiwi's face.  
Vinnie slowly caught on what was happening here and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him and let out a irritated sigh.  
"Yeah, I'm with the big fella in this one. Maybe Carbine wants to come back to help ya with that one…", Throttle nodded.  
"But we're…", Kiwi tried one more time, but Modo and Throttle were now babbling with each other about all the things they couldn't help with because they were too cool for that, or too manly, or too macho, or…  
Kiwi looked at Vinnie, who looked as if he had a idea. He gave here a misschivous smile and winked at her.  
' _Play along',_ he mouthed to her while getting upright in his seat.  
"Bro's, bro's… You're forgetting one important thing here…", he started, but Modo and Throttle hardly listened.  
Vinnie decided to just drop the bomb.  
"Who's gonna paint the baby room?", he asked casually.  
That shut them up.  
They both immediately stopped talking and turned their head slowly into the white furred mouse his direction.  
"Say _what_?", Modo asked, his normal low voice a few tones higher now.  
Kiwi tried to suppress her smile and succeeded.  
"Yeah, and who's gonna help to change its diaper?", she added.  
The two mice now stared at her.  
Vinnie leaned back while folding his hands behind his head, a big smirk on his face.  
Ooooh snap. They sure had them good. Exactly what they deserved.  
Throttle finally found his voice again.  
"Are you saying you're… you're… pregnant?" He almost hissed the last word.  
Kiwi gave him a innocent look.  
"Yeah, that's exactly what we're saying. You guys are gonna be uncles!"  
"Vinnie is gonna be a dad?", Modo whispered in shock.  
Vinnie had a hard time to keep his face in check, since the last thing he wanted at this very moment was becoming a dad.  
Ugh.  
But Kiwi couldn't hold herself back anymore and burst out into laughter. Vinnie soon joined her.  
Throttle and Modo stared at them, but it soon dawned on them.  
"You guys are the worst!", Modo rumbled, but with a smile on his face while shaking his head.  
"Pfewie, sure got me there for a moment", Throttle breathed while waving air at his face.  
"That will teach ya", Kiwi laughed.  
"Okay, okay, point taken. So, tell me, Vincent. What's really going on here?"  
The tan furred leader looked at his younger bro, but the white furred mouse slammed shut, still not comfortable with this.  
Kiwi saw it and shook her head, rolling her eyes.  
"You guys make a way too big deal outta this. Vinnie gave me his earring, not because he wants to marry me, but because he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. That's all."  
"That's unusual sweet of ya, Vin", Modo said lovingly.  
"Hey! I know perfectly well how to impress the ladies!", Vinnie protested, but his bro's knew this was way more than that.  
This was going much, much deeper.  
"Sure ya do", Throttle chuckled, deciding to put his bro outta his misery and he smoothly changed the subject.  
"So, Kiwi, I was thinking; let's pick up training again today. Ya think you up to it?"  
Kiwi gave one more smile to Vinnie before turning her gaze on Throttle.  
"You bet I am", she said determined.  
Vinnie glanced at her from under his lashes.  
That was his girl. Maybe he was gonna make it through this shit after all.  
Because no matter how broken he felt, no matter how much darkness surrounded him, there was Kiwi.  
His light. His angel.  
To guide him back home...

 _"Say you love me..."  
"You know I do..."_

* * *

Do you guys agree with me when I say I love it how well Vinnie and Kiwi match? They are the most adorable couple, but they can be downright dirty at the same time. Love it. I really enjoy writing scenes with them. They just fit so well together.

So, that's it for this chapter. Hope you guys liked it, please feel free to review, very much appreciated.

Till next time, guys.

Ride free, citizens.

PS; UGH, right, disclaimers. I used the lyrics from the Offsprin with Pretty Fly For A White Guy (thanks for the correction, Spaceflora) from John Legend with All of me.. Oh, and from Rage Against The Machine with Killing In The Name. They own these words, not me.


	46. Chapter 45

Hey you guys!

Thanks again for the reviews!

I know there were some errors in the gramatica, especially with the "had been" parts. But that's the exact part of the English language that's still very hard for me to write. Sorry, hope it wasn't too annoying.

Anywayz, on to the next chapter! Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty five**

"...and we found a building that the Plutarkians use as storage, so I'm going to send a team over to investigate what they're keeping in there. Also, Rimfire is still making a plan to get Stoker out, but the camp he's in has very high security and…", Carbine trailed off when she looked up from her paper.  
They were having a meeting, talking about plans and strategy, keeping each other updated… but her favorite mouse in the universe wasn't listening, she could tell.  
"Oh, Throttle, what is up with you? You seem… distracted…", Carbine sighed, coming closer to the camera to study the tan furred mouse's face.  
Throttle took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  
"Sorry, babe. Just got a lot on my mind… Go on."  
But to Throttle's surprise, she shook her head and rested her head in her hands, looking at him with a glance of worry in her eyes.  
"No, something is eating you. Talk to me, handsome."  
Throttle stared at her for a moment.  
Wow.  
He'd expected her to continue, after all, fighting this war sometimes seemed to be the only thing she cared about, but clearly, something's changed.  
Clearly.  
He realized he was still staring at her and he put back on his glasses, chuckling a little uncomfortable.  
"It's nothing major, babe, it's just… "  
"This is about Vinnie, isn't it?", she asked, but without the sharp tone he'd expected.  
Something really was different, alright.  
"Uhm, partially, yes… I just... " Throttle tried to find the words.  
A image of Vinnie in that bed, grinding his teeth while the blood was dripping outta his mouth, flashed before his eyes… the empty eyes…  
"It's my fault this happened to him… I let him walk right into this mess… Jesus, Carbine, I can't get his face outta my head, I keep seeing those empty eyes, his body that… Man, it was unworthy of a mouse… I should've known his plan was gonna backfire, I mean, there's a reason I'm the leader and he isn't, right?"  
Carbine let him speak, her eyes burning with sympathy.  
"And he's still struggling, I mean, he's pretending to be okay, but he isn't… He's broken, Carbine. Thank the Mothers of Mars he has Kiwi, she's the only thing that's keeping him on his feet, but… Dammit! He almost died under my watch. And I have a hard time dealing with that fact. It's eating me. Almost poisoning me..."  
Carbine waited till he was done, since she knew it was better to let it all out first. But when he stopped talking and looked at her, breathing heavily and his mouth in a tight line, she took a deep breath.  
"I'm so sorry you feel that way, Throttle… Really, I am. And I don't know what to say to make you feel better. Well, I could tell you that it wasn't your fault. That Vinnie's still responsible for himself and his own actions. But you wouldn't believe me. I could tell you that not only you, but nobody else had expected this plan would go the way it did. But you wouldn't believe me. I can only say I know how you feel, that being a leader is hard and it sometimes comes with failure. You sometimes make decisions from which you later on realize wasn't the best call to make. But you can't change the past. You only can learn from your mistakes and move on, avoiding to make them again…"  
Some people would say she was being harsh. That she needed to tell him it wasn't his fault, that there was nothing he could've done, that he shouldn't blame himself, but this was war. And living in a war meant living by a different script. A different manual.  
And being a leader wasn't easy. Yes, sometimes people died under your watch. And that was a hard pill to swallow, that's for sure. But giving up wasn't a option.  
Throttle sighed and played with a pen that was lying on the desk.  
"I know, babe. I guess it just gonna take me some time to get over this one…"  
"And you _take_ your time. Don't push it away. It always comes back. Twice as hard."  
Throttle gave her a sad smile.  
"Yeah…"  
Suddenly, Kiwi came into the garage.  
"Throttle, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Limburger is up to something. I was driving back from doing groceries and saw Greasepit driving in a weird vehicle towards the oil refinery…"  
Throttle got upright and smiled at Carbine.  
"Sorry, babe. Duty calls. Been long enough after that whole Verminator story... "  
"Go get them, hunk mouse. Talk to you later and Throttle...? Take care."  
"You too. Throttle out."

Ten weeks.  
It had cost him ten weeks, but he was finally allowed to ride his bike again and Vinnie couldn't be happier.  
And now, they jumped over the fence of the refinery and saw Greasepit sitting in a vehicle that had a large trunk, sucking the oil outta the ground. But of course, when they came into view, he ordered the goons to attack.  
No surprise there.  
The goons came outta different directions and started the pursuit, while firing laser.  
Throttle ducked and looked over his shoulder.  
"Hmmm… Class must be out."  
He spotted a big pile of barrels just ahead of him and he hit the brakes, turned his bike and fired a rope outta the back. The hook grabbed the wooden plank that was making sure the pile remained a pile. But Throttle had other plans and he hit the accelerator. The plank broke and the whole pile of barrels came down, straight towards the goons. The minions couldn't stop the crash and Throttle smiled while looking at the chaos.  
"Badda bing… Now that's a drumble…", he chuckled.  
Ah.  
Nothing better than a little bit of action to clear a troubled mind.  
Meanwhile, Modo was driving towards one of the big tanks that was used to storage the oil, when a laser hit the ground closeby his front tire.  
"Wow!", he called out while avoiding the next shot. He looked up, following the direction of the shots and saw a goon standing on top of the oil tank.  
"Sniper at twelve o'clock!", and he revved his bike. He drove straight up, because hey, they are the Biker Mice From Mars and they just can.  
The goon kept firing, but Modo was already standing next to him and kicked him off the tank.  
"Eleven o'clock, nine o'clock, seven o'clock…", the gray furred giant counted while looking how the man got closer to the ground.  
He eventually landed in a huge container filled with garbage, breaking his fall.  
"Six o'clock", Modo smiled satisfied.  
On the other side of the area, Vinnie was also followed by a small army of goons. He smiled, looking over his shoulder.  
"Heyyy… I got me a following…" and he revved his bike. "Lift off!" and he also drove up at one of the oil tanks, just like Modo had done. But when he was halfway, he shot out a rope from the back of his bike and it whirled around the round shaped faucet that kept the oil inside. Vinnie continued his journey up and the faucet turned open, giving the goons a nice shower of oil. The buggies slipped and crashed into each other.

His bro's joined the white furred mouse on top of the oil tank and stopped their bikes.  
"Ya know, I still don't feel quite right…", Throttle said, biting his lower lip.  
"Yeah, yeah, kinda like… _unfulfilled_ …", Vinnie nodded, agreeing with his bro.  
"Like something's missing…", Modo mused.  
"Hey mousies…", they suddenly heard a all too familiar voice.  
"Aaahhh… The main course", the mice said in unison, smiling at each other. "Greasepit…"  
They looked down and saw the oil dripping guy standing below them, with a grenade in his hand.  
"Say good night, furballs!", and he pulled out the pin.  
"Ehm, bro's? Is he really dumb enough to throw a _grenade_ at a _oil tank_?", Vinnie asked with disbelief in his voice, rubbing his chin with narrowed eyes.  
"Oh yeah, sure!", Modo nodded.  
"Most definitely", Throttle agreed.  
" _Dumber than dumb_!", Vinnie sang.  
And indeed, Greasepit threw the grenade in their direction.  
The mice popped a wheelie and fired their jets. Right before the grenade exploded, causing a huge explosion, they flew up in the air.  
"AAAAOOWW! Rocket mouse!", Vinnie cheered.  
"Shoot your chutes!", Throttle ordered and they did what he said.  
Throttle and Modo landed close to each other and disconnected the parachutes while turning their bikes. They both fired their laser while aiming at the ground, creating some kinda moat around the refinery, to avoid the oil would leak further into the direction of the city and by doing that, making sure the fire would stay here.  
"That should do it", Throttle said.  
Modo was about to say something, but then…  
"Ahhh man…", they heard a high pitched voice moan in the distance.  
Modo narrowed his eye.  
"Vinnie… He sounds hurt…"  
"Ah man, I knew he wasn't ready", Throttle sighed and they quickly followed the sound.  
They found Vinnie sitting next to his bike that was lying on her side under a tree. By the looks of things, Vinnie had crashed into the tree and fell down with bike and all.  
"No… No, no, no…", the white furred mouse moaned, holding his bike, his ears drooped.  
"What is it, bro? Something with your head? Broken arm?", Throttle demanded worried, jumping off his bike.  
But when he heard Vinnie's answer, he stopped death in his tracks.  
"No… No, man… It's even worse… Broken radio!"  
Throttle and Modo shared a annoyed look, and the gray furred giant slammed his hand against his helmeted head.  
"You really need to get your priorities straight, little bro…"  
"And how the hell did you end up in that tree?", Throttle asked, still shaking his head. T  
hat kid sure knew how to exaggerate. Sure, broken radio sucked, but come on…  
"Not important right now! We need to go back, we need to fix my radio, I can't fight without my radio, I can't even _LIVE_ without my radio!", Vinnie whined.  
Throttle heard his tone and that made clear to him his younger bro was holding something back, but he knew him. Right now, there was no way they were gonna have a normal conversation with that white furred loudmouth.  
First step; back to the house and fix that goddamn radio.

Vinnie was pacing through the garage while Kiwi was looking at the radio. She wasn't a mechanic, but she knew a lot about technologie, so they hoped she could fix Vinnie's radio.  
But Vinnie was close to losing his shit.  
"It's just way too quiet… I can't stand this silence, I just can't…", he mumbled.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes and continued her work. But the thing was toasted.  
"I dunno… This radio is pretty trashed, I don't think…", but before she could continue, her macho mouse grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her around.  
Then, he took both arms in a iron grip. She breathed in sharply, looking into his wild eyes.  
"Don't say that! It's gotta pull through! It just gotta…" and his grip became even tighter.  
"Vinnie, you're hurting me…", Kiwi squealed, not really knowing why he reacted like this.  
But then again, it wasn't actually _that_ surprising. The mouse hated peace and quietness. Everywhere he'd go, there was music. This radio was his life.  
Throttle quickly lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder and pulled him away from Kiwi. The white furred mouse let her go and she rubbed her arms, noticing the red spots where his fingers just were.  
Honestly, this mouse was such a piece of work.  
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, chill, Vincent. This isn't Kiwi's fault…"  
Vinnie gritted his teeth and slowly came closer to Throttle.  
"You don't understand, bro… I need my radio…" and he suddenly grabbed the tan furred mouse by the shoulders, shaking him roughly.  
"I need my radio, I need my radio, I need my radio, I need my radio, I need...!"  
"Hey, hey, Vinnie, Vinnie!", Modo yelled and Vinnie looked over his shoulder.  
"Listen, how about I turn on my radio? The sweet Georgie Brown show is on…", and he pushed the button.  
" _Yo… ehm… bro's_ ", came outta the speakers, but it wasn't the voice of Georgie Brown.  
The mice their jaws fell open and they shared a look. That voice sounded a lot like…  
"Limburger", they said in unison.  
Kiwi giggled, she couldn't help it. She loved it how they said the same things at the same time or finished each others sentences. It was cute, really. And Vinnie seemed to be distracted now, so that was also a good thing. But what was that stinkfish up to?

" _Now, this is rap master Larry, filling in for Sweet Georgie Brown, who's a bit… under the weather today, shall we say? It's time for… Rap master Larry's boss give away game! It's a far out happening, makes the others look lame. Soooo, be the first caller and catch this price of extraordinary size. Three Blow Funk stereos for motorbikes!_ "  
"Blow Funk stereo?", Vinnie asked slowly, his eyes grew big. "Man, the absolute best!"  
" _The stereo's goes to the first caller who answers this question correctly; Who is the most dreadfully annoying personality in pop music? Our lines are open!_ "  
"Sweetheart, gimme ya phone, now!", Vinnie yelled hyper and Kiwi quickly gave it to him, before he would rip off her clothes to get it. I mean, nothing was gonna stop him now, that was for sure.  
Vinnie quickly typed in the number and held the phone at his big ear, pacing through the garage again.  
Kiwi shared a look with the two other mice, who shrugged with a smile on their face.  
"HEY, you dumb oil leaking moron!", Vinnie greeted Greasepit, who picked up the phone.  
" _Huh? How did yous knows it was me?_ ", he heard him answering and Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
Could you believe this guy?  
" _Ah! I see we have our first caller!_ ", they heard Limburger over the speakers of Modo's bike.  
" _For the stereo's; Who is the most annoying personality in pop music?_ "  
"Well, lemme see… That will be a ty between Madonna, singers with a symbol for their name and… you!"  
The white furred mouse almost gagged while saying Madonna's name, making Kiwi smile again. He hated Madonna. They weren't even allowed to say her name in his presence. Hearing him saying it himself now was just too funny.  
" _We have a winner, cool cat's! Rap master Larryo says come and get your stereo!_ "  
Vinnie pumped one fist in the air while throwing Kiwi's phone back to her, cheering loud.  
"Am I good, or what? Come on, bro's, let's ride!", and he jumped on his bike.  
"Wow, wow, wow, now just wait a minute!", Kiwi yelled, who was still having trouble with catching her phone, but eventually, she got it.  
"This obviously is a trap… How many times do I need to tell you guys that?"  
"So? I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle", Vinnie said with a arrogant smile on his face while closing his visor.  
Throttle and Modo shared a look, but then shrugged. No way they were gonna stop Vinnie, so they could better tag along to make sure the white furred mouse was gonna come back in one piece.  
"Sorry Kiwi, but the adrenaline mouse has spoken", Throttle chuckled, while mounting his bike.  
"Yeah, so we know what to do…", Modo smiled.  
"Let's ROCK…"

"...and RIDE!"

Kiwi walked into the big supermarket, still softly cursing to herself because of those damn stubborn mice. But there was nothing she could do at this point, and she'd seen that she'd forgotten to buy root beer this morning. Honestly, how could she forget? But luckily, the mice were gone and hadn't noticed yet, so she'd decided to go get it before they'd come back.  
When she was struggling with two trays of cans, she felt someone stopping next to her.  
"You need help with that?", a friendly male voice asked.  
Kiwi looked up, blowing the bangs of hair outta her heated face and looked at the guy who was standing next to her.  
His brown/green eyes grew big, same as hers.  
"Kiwi?", the guy called out, and a big smile appeared on his face.  
"Chaz! Is that really you?", she asked, while leaving the trays for what they were and got on her feet, her lips curled into a smile.  
"Wow, how long has it been?", he asked with his heavy voice, pulling her in his arms to give her a friendly hug.  
She hugged him back, still smiling.  
"Too long. How are you?"  
"Oh you know, business as usual. And you? How are you? The last time I saw you… well…", he suddenly trailed off and Kiwi let him go.  
She looked at him, his black messy hair, his small face, his lanky body… He hadn't changed a bit. He looked at her, obviously feeling a little uncomfortable. No surprise there, since he had been her boyfriend when her parents died and he'd broke up with her because he couldn't handle it.  
Kiwi lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's okay, Chaz. I'm doing fine now."  
His face lit up.  
"That's great to hear. So, you're still living in your parents house?"  
Kiwi nodded.  
"All by yourself?", he asked, a little surprised.  
Now it was Kiwi to feel uncomfortable. She wasn't really a fan of lying, but she obviously couldn't tell him she was living with three alien macho mice from Mars, who were here to stop a big talking fish who wanted to take over and destroy the planet Earth. He probably immediately would call the authorities to get her locked up in a secured facility and besides… Throttle would kill her.  
He noticed her hesitation.  
"Hey, it's okay if you have someone else now", he said teasingly, but somehow, Kiwi got the feeling it was far from okay.  
Ah well, there was no harm in telling him she indeed was seeing someone else.  
"I eh… Well, you're right. There is someone…", she stuttered, blushing.  
Chaz studied her, suddenly a little suspicious.  
"Who is it?"  
"Oh, you don't know him. He isn't from… around here…"  
She rubbed her arms absently, clearly not at ease. But just when she wanted to change the subject, he suddenly grabbed her arm.  
"Is this why you're being so evasive?", he growled and Kiwi stared at him, a little spooked by this sudden change of behaviour.  
Her gaze lowered and she saw bruises of Vinnie's hands, from when he'd grabbed her in the garage.  
Oh shit.  
She quickly pulled back her arm, a blush on her face. This made Chaz even more suspicious.  
"No, it's not what you think, jesus, I love him…", Kiwi quickly said, holding up her hands in front of her.  
Chaz narrowed his eyes and shook his head.  
"I don't believe you. Is he hurting you, Kiwi? You know you can talk to me…"  
His soothing voice, the way he looked at her, it made her suddenly so angry. Her eyes spit fire.  
"Oh, so now you care? A little bit too late, isn't it?", she spit out, poking a finger against his chest.  
Chaz did a step back, but he tried to grab her hand.  
"I was wrong, there isn't a day that I didn't regret I left you when you needed me the most. And I'm sorry. But I won't make the same mistake again. I've never forgotten about you. Maybe, if you give me a second chance…", but Kiwi yanked herself free.  
"You had your chance. Just leave me alone!"  
And she quickly turned around and almost ran outta the supermarket.  
The _nerve_ of that guy.  
Who the hell did he thought he was anyway?  
He was a ghost from the past. Nothing more. Nothing less.  
A ghost who drew the wrong conclusions, that's for sure.  
Ugh.  
When she was sitting in her car, she suddenly realized she totally forgot about the rootbeer. Well, she would send Modo after they got back from picking up these goddamned stereo's.  
No way she was gonna go back in. She started her car and drove away with shrieking tires.

Meanwhile, the guys were on their way to the sweet Georgie Brown radio station. Vinnie was all hyped up, when suddenly a feeling of slight panic took over. He frowned at himself, not knowing why he was feeling this. His heart was beating faster and faster, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden.  
Hmmm, this was weird alright. And he knew this wasn't his own emotion. Kiwi. What could possibly be wrong? He decided to push it away, because even if it wasn't a nice feeling, he knew it wasn't alarming.  
They parked their bikes in front of the radio station and walked inside, their helmets still on.  
Throttle looked around, his hand on his gun, prepared for anything. But the building was empty and on the desk were standing three gift wrapped boxes.  
Vinnie, of course, walked eagerly towards the desk.  
"Three beautiful Blow Funks! Come to daddy!", and he reached out for one of the boxes.  
"Wow, wow, wow, wow, hold it, bro!", Throttle warned his eager younger bro and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Kiwi could be right, Big Daddy may be cradling three bombs…"  
Vinnie turned around, his nose wrinkled.  
"Are you saying these baby's got a full load?" and he rolled his eyes, while turning back and grabbing one of the boxes.  
Throttle and Modo quickly walked backwards, shaking their head because of the lack of self preservation of their white furred bro.  
Vinnie shook with the box, but nothing happened. He looked at his bro's, who were protecting their heads with their arms, but they lowered them when they noticed nothing exploded.  
"See? No bombs!", Vinnie exclaimed happily and his bro's shrugged, grabbing their own radio too.  
"There's probably a couple of goons waiting for us outside", Vinnie smiled.  
"Or maybe even closer… mousies..."  
A voice from behind them. Throttle looked at Vinnie, who smiled sheepishly.  
"I told ya, no bombs!"  
And they all three elbowed the guys behind them, who were trying to grab them and quickly ran away. They quickly took care of the couple of goons and Greasepit ran away in fear.  
"I ain't through yet! I'm gonna get yous mousies!", and he burst through the door outside.  
"Oh yeah, oil breath? You and what army?", Vinnie called after him.  
But when they walked outside, they stopped death in their tracks. A whole army of goons was looking at them, the sound of clicking guns was heard and Greasepit was standing in the middle, a smugly smile on his face.  
"Oh… Pardon me for asking the obvious…", the young white furred mouse chuckled a little embarrassed.  
"Oh momma… It's the entire goon army…", Modo sighed.  
"Better call in the special forces, bro's!", Throttle ordered and Vinnie whistled between his teeth.  
The roaring sound of engines filled the air and the bikes came into view, standing on top of a building close by. They probably had hid there when the army arrived the scene, waiting for a order.  
But now they were needed and they drove down, cannons popping out. They opened fire on the army and Greasepit quickly ran away.  
"Uh oh… We've been ambushilated!"  
The bikes kept firing while driving straight through the army to their riders, and taking care of most of the goons by running them over.  
When they reached the mice, they jumped onto their bike.  
Throttle immediately turned his bike and drove straight towards Greasepit and grabbed him. He kept driving, dragging the big ugly guy with him.  
"Heeey! Lemme go! Let go! Puhleaaaasee…."  
Throttle smiled and popped a wheelie, while making a pirouette on the rear tire.  
"If you insist…" and he threw Greasepit away. The guy flew through the air and crashed against a tree, knocking him out immediately.  
Throttle drove back to his bro's, who were collecting goons and throwing them all at the same spot. The tan furred mouse smiled and climbed on his seat, his bike driving circles around the pile of goons. His bro's did the same and they grabbed the rope that was coming outta the back of their bikes, whirling it above their head like a lasso.  
"Time for the goon roping competition, bro's!", Throttle smiled.  
"YIIIIHAAAAA!", Vinnie and Modo yelled happily and they all threw their lasso around a group of goons.  
When they were back in the saddle, the mice sped away, dragging the goons with them.  
" _Yippie taaayaaayeee… get along little goonies_!", they sang while throwing Limburgers minions in a large fountain.  
"See? I told ya. I told ya, I told ya…", Vinnie started when they turned their bikes and drove back to the radio station to grab their present.  
"...we just waltz in, collect our Blow Funks and just waltz back out."  
"Yeah, real nice waltz…", Modo chuckled, and looked at Throttle. "Next time we hide his dancing shoes."  
"Funny… Let's ride!" and Vinnie sped away, followed by his bro's.

When they drove into the garage, Kiwi walked inside to see if they were okay. But when she saw Vinnie's big grin and the somehow tired faces of Throttle and Modo, she smiled.  
Yep. They were okay.  
Vinnie jumped off his bike and almost bounced towards her, pulling her in his arms.  
"Sweetheart, sweetheart! We got the radio's you can install them now can ya?", he babbled so fast, she hardly could follow him.  
She opened her mouth, but he gave her no time to react and dragged her with him to his bike, still babbling.  
But when they were standing next to his bike, he suddenly turned around and looked at her, a frown on his face.  
"By the way, babe, you okay? I couldn't help myself noticing some slight unease when we were driving to the radio station…"  
His voice was low now and he talked a little slower, but he was still bouncing on his feet, hardly able to suppress his excitement.  
A blush appeared on her face and she quickly waved it away, making herself loose.  
"Oh nothing major, I just tripped when I was in the supermarket, really, it was embarrassing."  
The lie was out before she could stop it. She wasn't really sure why she didn't just told them the truth, but she had the nagging feeling Vinnie wasn't gonna be pleased with the fact she had seen her ex boyfriend. And he probably also wasn't gonna be amused about the fact that particular ex boyfriend now had the idea in his head that Vinnie was the abusive new boyfriend.  
Nope, better to keep this to herself. No way they were gonna find out, anyway. No need to create problems that aren't there.  
Vinnie thought about it for a moment, but then burst out into laughter.  
"I wish I was there to see it", he managed to squeeze out.  
Kiwi's head became even more red and she turned around to look at him.  
"You want that radio in your bike? If so, you better stop laughing, mister."  
Vinnie immediately closed his mouth, his eyes a little big, somehow shocked she could even _suggest_ this.  
Throttle and Modo laughed and he gave them a glare while crossing his arms before his chest.  
Kiwi smiled at herself and started her work.  
Soon, all three bikes were upgraded with a beautiful Blow Funk stereo.  
"Okay! These wheels are ready to rock", she exclaimed while wiping off her forehead.  
Vinnie jumped on his bike and put on the radio. Heavy metal filled the room, the window almost breaking because of the bass.  
"Now that's more like it!"  
They drove outside and Kiwi watched them go, shaking her head. These mice…

"AAAAOOW! Now this is living!", Vinnie cheered while racing through the streets, the music so loud his eardrums vibrated. But he didn't care. This was so much better than silence.  
"Oh man, this stereo's really blow it out!", Modo laughed.  
"Kick out the jam, brothers and sisters!", Throttle agreed.  
"You know it, aaaooww!" and Vinnie hit the accelerator, but suddenly his bike started to act crazy.  
It started bucking like a rodeo horse and the white furred mouse grabbed his handlebars tightly, completely at loss why his bike was suddenly acting like this.  
"What the…", and he tried to get back control, but his bike suddenly stopped and Vinnie flew off, landing hard on the ground.  
"Oempf…"  
His bro's stopped next to him, laughing loud.  
"Hahaha, looks like we gotta put back those training wheels back on your bike, Vinnie!", Modo laughed, looking at his younger bro, who looked back angrily.  
"It wasn't me, bro's, it was…", but Throttle, who thought Vinnie was trying to defend his reputation instead of saying something that actually made sense, cut him off.  
"Hey hey hey, we got bigger problems!", and he pointed ahead. "Looks like Sears Tower is shifting into first."  
His bro's followed his finger and saw the big tower was leaning to the right, as if it was gonna come down.  
Vinnie immediately forgot why he was lying on the ground, since a fight was ahead and the adrenaline was already starting to run through his veins. He jumped at his bike, popping a wheelie.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"

When they came by the tower, they saw goons all over the place and the building was still hanging dangerously far to the right.  
"Hey, that tower is brand new…", Modo mused, looking at the building that was standing across the street. That's weird…  
"Yeah, and look who's here for the grand opening!", Vinnie added, meaning the heavily armed goons.  
"We gotta jam, or there's gonna be citizens pancakes all over the streets!", Throttle called out and cannons popped out their bikes.  
They opened fire on the goons, making the buggies explode. Vinnie fired a laser at the new building and a strange noise caught his attention.  
"Hey! That building sounds hollower than Greasepit's knocking…"  
Throttle was about to say something, but suddenly his bike roared and shift into reverse.  
"Hey!", the tan furred mouse called out while his bike drove backwards with dangerous speed, making him land in the bushes.  
At the same time, Modo's bike started to buck just like Vinnie's ride had done and Modo flew off, landing hard on the ground. After a few rolls, he pushed himself up at his hands and knees and looked at his beloved little Hoss, who was still outta control.  
"My bike...It never acted like a bucking rodeo horse before… Yo, Little Darling!" and he whistled between his teeth.  
But his bike ignored him.  
Say what?  
Modo narrowed his one eye and with a determined look on his face, he ran towards his bike and jumped back on it. The bike still tried to fight him off, but Modo was prepared now and held on tightly. He joined Vinnie and Throttle, the latter just came back outta the bushes.  
"Man, these wheels have gone wacko… Fire grabbling lines!", the tan furred leader ordered, knowing it was now important to come up with a short termed solution to stop whatever what was going on here. The hooks at the end of the ropes grabbed the new building and they dragged it with them, until it was standing next to the Sears Tower, making sure the big tower wasn't gonna come down since it was leaning on the strange new building now.  
"Now that will prop up the property values…", Throttle said, still having a hard time to keep his bike under control, same as his bro's.  
"We better get back home to give this bike a shake down... ", Modo suggested.  
"Yeah, before they shake us down", Vinnie agreed, feeling annoyed his own bike was behaving like this.  
What the fuck was going on here?  
And they started the long drive back home, with their wild untamed bikes under them.

Kiwi was cleaning up the mess in the garage when suddenly the doorbell rang. She looked up, a little surprised. Now who could that be?  
She slowly walked inside the house and towards the front door. She peeked through the small window and her heart stopped.  
Chaz…  
Shit, what was he doing here?  
Fuck.  
She tiptoed back away from the door, hoping he would give up and leave when he noticed she wasn't answering.  
And after ten times ringing the doorbell, he did. Well, Kiwi thought he did. But when she looked outside, she saw he was walking towards the guesthouse.  
Shit.  
She knew the door wasn't locked and that the mice had enough weapons stored there to blow up whole Chicago. If he was gonna see that, he would call 911 before she could even blink. So, she did the one thing she could do. Meaning, opening the door and calling his name.  
"Chaz!"  
The young male stopped and turned around. His face lit up when he saw her and thank the Mothers of Mars, he walked back to her.  
"Hey, so you are home…", he said and Kiwi nodded.  
"Yeah, I was upstairs, doing eh… _girl stuff_ , so it took me while to come down."  
Girl stuff.  
Great, Kiwi, just great. You're such a bad liar.  
Chaz studied her face for a moment, obviously at loss what she was meaning with girl stuff.  
Kiwi couldn't blame him, she hardly knew for herself.  
"But what are you doing here, Chaz?", she know asked, straight to the point.  
Chaz shuffled with his feet, a faint blush on his cheeks.  
"I eh… I was worried about you and I came to check on you. I mean, you're obviously in trouble… I wanna help you."  
Kiwi shook her head in annoyance.  
"Chaz, it's not what you think, not at all. I'm…", but he cut her off.  
"They all say that, ya know?"  
Kiwi stared at him.  
"Say what? And who is they?"  
"Women who are in a abusive relationship. They're scared, thinking it's their own fault somehow, scared to leave the guy since he's threatening that if she ever tells anyone, he'll come after her to kill her…"  
Kiwi let out a humorless laugh.  
"And since when did you become the new Doctor Phil?"  
Chaz looked at her, his eyes burning.  
"Since my mom was beating up by my step dad. I saw it all happen, for years. I know how it is. And I know how hard it is to break free. So, I wanna help ya. I know you can't do this alone."  
Kiwi sighed irritated, looking at her smartwatch. She saw the mice were on their way back.  
Shit.  
He needed to leave.  
Now.  
"Chaz, I really appreciate your concern, but you couldn't be more wrong. And now, I need you to leave…", she said, her voice a little shaky.  
But Chaz was apparently determined to play the hero this time and shook his head.  
"Nope. I'm staying, and we're gonna make a plan how to get you outta this situation."  
Kiwi was getting angry. This was ridiculous. Jesus, why couldn't he just leave her alone? She had needed him, when her parents died. He made his choice back then. So, why…  
Ah.  
He was feeling guilty.  
He wanted to make things right.  
Ugh.  
Men and their sense of honor.  
"Listen to me, Chaz. You really need to leave now, before…"  
"Before your boyfriend comes home? I know, I know, you're scared, but I'm here. I'll protect you."  
Kiwi laughed despite her anger. As if he was able to protect himself against her macho mouse. But her laughing soon died.  
"You're trespassing. I'll call the cops if you don't leave now!", she threatened. But even that didn't work.  
"Good, call them. Then I can tell them what is going on here."  
Kiwi threw her hands in the air in frustration, knowing perfectly well she couldn't call the cops. They needed to stay off the radar. They couldn't find out about the mice.  
"Chaz, I…", but she trailed off when she heard the sounds of engines.  
They were here.  
Shit.  
Was.  
About.  
To.  
Get.  
Real.  
She looked at Chaz with pleading eyes.  
"Please, go away. You don't understand, I can't explain, but it isn't what you think, please… just trust me on this one."  
But she saw on his face he wasn't going anywhere.  
Fucking hell.  
She grabbed his arm and dragged him with her inside and pushed him into a kitchen chair.  
"You stay here, I need to talk, to explain… Just wait here, okay?", she ordered him.  
He nodded and she quickly walked to the garage.  
The mice just parked their bikes, shutting them down.  
"Guys…", she started, but Vinnie cut her off.  
"Sweetheart, the bikes are gone loco, something is wrong."  
"Yeah, we need that measure equipment of yours, to see if there's something wrong with the AI…", Throttle continued, pulling off his helmet before Kiwi could stop him.  
"Yeah, maybe you can take a look at it, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo asked her.  
Kiwi opened her mouth, but the mice weren't paying attention to her at all.  
She suddenly heard someone breath in sharply behind her and she whirled around, looking straight into the shocked face of Chaz.  
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out her breath.  
This wasn't going well.  
Vinnie was the first one who saw him and he immediately grabbed his gun.  
"And who the hell are you?", he demanded, aiming at Chaz.  
His bro's heard the tone in his voice and also quickly turned around.  
Kiwi raised her hands and quickly jumped before Chaz.  
"Wow, wow, wow, macho mouse, stand down! This is a friend of mine…"  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes, but lowered his gun.  
There was a silence for a moment.  
Chaz kept staring at the mice, who looked back suspiciously.  
Throttle looked at Kiwi, a angry look on his face, obviously not amused with the fact a stranger was in her house, that she hadn't warned them and that he now knew about them.  
"Okay, I can explain, it's all one big misunderstanding", Kiwi started, but Chaz suddenly grabbed her and dragged her with him, away from the mice.  
"Chaz, what are ya doing, lemme go!", she protested, knowing the guy only made thing worse by touching her.  
In front of Vinnie.  
Oh boy…  
This was bad.  
The guy was digging his own grave without even knowing it...

* * *

Uh oh… The annoying ex boyfriend, who really need to get his facts straight before drewing conclusions like this.

How is Vinnie gonna react on this one?

And what is wrong with the bikes?

Stay tuned and you'll find out ;)

So, feel free to leave a review, that would be awesome!

Thanks for supporting me and till next time, my lovely readers.

Later!


	47. Chapter 46

_'Dashing through the snow…  
On a three hundred horse powered sleigh…'_

 _Ho ho ho!_  
Merry Christmas to y'all!

And my Christmas gift to you guys is…  
Another chapter! Hehehe.. I mean, what else, right? ;)  
Hope I'm not going too fast for y'all, because if so, do tell :)

So, thanks again for the reviews. Glad to see you guys are still with me.  
And LadyDaisys, this is also one of my favorite episodes, it's so funny. Glad to hear you like the twist I gave it.  
In fact, glad to hear you _all_ like my own twists. Awesome!

Time to see if Vinnie's gonna leave Chaz alive, hehehe… Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty six**

Chaz dragged her to the kitchen, grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the fridge, his eyes wide open.  
"Kiwi, what the hell… What are these things?", he managed to squeeze out, his grip tightened.  
Kiwi knew he wasn't hurting her on purpose, but the fact remained he did.  
Hurt her.  
"Chaz, lemme go, you're hurting me… They're my friends. Look, I can explain everything but please, just lemme go…"  
But Chaz shook his head and pushed her even harder against the fridge.  
"They have… _guns_ … Kiwi, what kinda trouble have you gotten yourself into?"  
"Not even _close_ to as much trouble _you've_ just gotten yourself into, _pal_ …"  
Vinnie's voice.  
Low.  
Cold.  
Threatening...

 _Shit._

Suddenly, Chaz got yanked away from her and she saw Vinnie grabbing him by the throat and pushing him against the wall, his tail lashing.  
"You're touching my girl…."  
Chaz stared at him, looked into the fuming red eyes of the white creature. Fear struck him when he saw the murderous look on the face that was now inches away from his.  
Kiwi grabbed Vinnie's arm.  
"Please, Vin, it's okay, really, he's a friend and he's just trying to help, how stupid that may sound…"  
Vinnie didn't look at her, he was still studying the face of the human male who apparently had the nerve to hurt his girl.  
The guy looked back, fear written on his face, clearly at loss what was going on here.  
Suddenly, a tan furred hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
"Let him go, Vincent. Let's at least give him a chance to explain himself."  
Throttle's husky and calm voice made its way into his with anger clouded brain and after one hard push, the white furred mouse let Chaz go.  
The human male coughed and quickly made his way to the other side of the kitchen, as far away as possible from Vinnie.  
Throttle gestured to the table.  
"Let's sit down for a moment and talk about this."  
Chaz hesitated, but Kiwi gave him a reassuring smile and sat down.  
Throttle and Modo too, but Vinnie leaned against the wall with his arms crossed before his chest, the tip of his tail still twitching.  
After one more scared look towards Vinnie, Chaz slowly sat down at the table, his bravado nowhere to be found.  
Kiwi bowed her head to hide her smile. Even if this situation was fucked up, she somehow found it very amusing that he was so convinced he was the one to protect her earlier this day, but look at him now. He was no match for the mice at all.  
Not that was necessary. They were her family after all.  
Throttle studied the face of the young male and then sighed, leaning back in his chair.  
"I know how this may look, but we ain't the bad guys here. So, chill. My name's Throttle, this is Modo and you already met Vinnie…", Throttle added with a small smile.  
Chaz kept staring at him, as if he couldn't believe this was even real.  
Kiwi couldn't really blame him. She knew the mice for so long now, she almost was seeing them as normal persons, but she could perfectly remember her reaction when she first saw them. It was almost too much to take in.  
So, she decided to take the word, since it was clear Chaz wasn't able to.  
"Guys, this is Chaz, a.. friend. Well, we used to be friends, before my parents died…"  
Chaz looked into her direction  
"We were more than…", but Kiwi quickly cut him off.  
" _Not_ important!"  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes by hearing this.  
No way.  
This was one of her ex boyfriends?  
Ah man. He hated ex boyfriends. He had this jealousy streak that he himself wasn't proud of, but was hard to control. Somehow, ex boyfriends always seemed to trigger that part of him…  
Geez, I wonder why?  
Kiwi saw him looking and quickly continued her story.  
"We saw each other in the supermarket earlier this day and somehow, there emerged a slight misunderstanding about my new boyfriend…"  
She gave Vinnie another nervous look, but continued.  
"...so, Chaz is here because he thought I needed help, but obviously wasn't necessary and he just refused to leave…"  
She now looked at Chaz.  
"You now understand? Nobody can know about them. I couldn't tell you and if you hadn't stick your so called heroic nose into my business, this was never happened."  
Chaz finally found back his voice.  
"So you blame me for worrying about you? For trying to help you? How in the world could I have known you're hiding three walking, talking and fully armed… gerbils in your house?"  
"Mice, dude. We're mice", Modo said patiently.  
"Mice?"  
"Mice", Modo nodded, still patiently.  
"And where the fuck are you guys coming from?"  
"Mars", Throttle answered tiredly. He was so not in the mood for this.  
"Mars?"  
Vinnie snorted. What is it with Earthlings repeating everything they said anyway?  
"Yes, Mars. You heard it. Now stop playing the goddamn parrot and get the hell outta here", the white furred mouse snapped at him.  
Kiwi gave him a warning look, but Vinnie ignored her.  
Throttle slowly nodded.  
"Yeah, I think it's for the best you leave now. I don't need to remind you about how important it is that you keep this to yourself, now do I?", he asked, a slight threatening tone in his voice.  
Chaz swallowed and shook his head, but remained on his seat. He was obviously still not planning on going anywhere.  
He looked at Kiwi, a strange look in his eyes.  
"So, you're dating a giant humanoid alien mouse that is coming from Mars?"  
She heard the patronizing tone in his voice and she rolled her eyes.  
"He is so much more than that, but that's something you'll never understand", she answered with a ice cold voice.  
That hit him. He leaned back in his chair, a tormented look on his face.  
Vinnie had enough. He pushed himself off the wall and marched over to Chaz.  
"That's it. Time for you to go", and he grabbed the human male by his shirt.  
"Vinnie…", Kiwi started, but Vinnie cut her off.  
"Sweetheart, we ain't got time for this. There's something wrong with the bikes…"  
Chaz took a deep breath. This was his chance to stay a little longer, to observe and most important, to keep an eye on Kiwi.  
"I eh… I noticed you were talking about AI earlier?"  
Vinnie shook him roughly.  
"Shut up, nobody asked you something."  
Chaz paled, but then opened his mouth again, to annoyance of Vinnie.  
"Maybe I can help, I…"  
"We don't _need_ your help."  
"Vinnie, wait, he's right…", Kiwi said softly. She looked at Throttle, the most reasonable mouse right now.  
"I met Chaz during my study ICT, and he's got some serious skills. Maybe he can find out what's wrong with the bikes... more important, maybe he can fix it?"  
"No way I'm gonna let this nerd coming even _near_ to my bike", Vinnie said stubborn, but he let go off Chaz, who adjusted his shirt, taking a few deep breaths.  
But Throttle was looking at him, rubbing his chin.  
"I don't think there's any harm in letting him take a look, I suppose… What about you, big fella?"  
Modo shrugged.  
"Guess you're right. We need to get back on the road as soon as possible, since that stinking sewerbreath's having a free ticket to do whatever he wants to do with this city as we speak…"  
"Now just wait a minute…", Vinnie protested, but Throttle gave him a warning look.  
"Vincent, enough. This day is already tiring enough without your big mouth. Stand down, and that's an order!"  
Vinnie's fur bristled and he pumped up his chest, as if he was about to explode, but then he grinded his teeth and put his chin in the air.  
And apparently, miracles did exist, because the white furred mouse kept his mouth closed.  
Throttle looked at Chaz and rose on his feet.  
"Come on, time for you to show if ya really are worth what Kiwi thinks ya are."

The machine beeped and a piece of paper rolled out. Chaz grabbed the paper and studied it. The device was attached to Vinnie's bike, since his bike was the one that had started with this weird behaviour. Vinnie was everything but happy about it, but he was now looking over the shoulder of Chaz, trying to figure out what was going on with his precious ride. And to make sure the kid wouldn't do anything he was gonna regret later. Like mess with his bike.  
Messing with his girl was one thing, but messing with his bike, oh boy…  
"Bad news, I'm afraid", Chaz said slowly, not knowing how the three alien mice that were standing close behind him were gonna react.  
"Looks like your bike's computersystem picked up a virus. It's probably coming from that stereo you told me about", he said towards Throttle, since he seemed to be the less intimidating at this point.  
But Modo's eye started to glow red and Chaz swallowed, staring at the mouse that was almost twice his size.  
"Limburger!", the gray furred giant growled. "Why that no good…"  
"...stink faced low downed... ", Throttle continued, also not amused that that stinkfish clearly had the nerve to mess with their bikes like that.  
Vinnie wrinkled his nose and bit his lower lip. But then…  
"Hey, I got just the medicine for his virus…", and he yanked the stereo outta his bike and threw it on the ground with enough force to make the whole thing shatter into a million pieces.  
Chaz did a few steps back now he had the space and looked at Kiwi, but by the looks of things, she wasn't impressed by all this.  
She seemed to be just as angry.  
"Jesus, guys, I told ya this was a trap!"  
Chaz looked back at the trashed radio.  
"It's too late for that…", he said softly.  
All four heads turned into his direction again and Chaz could feel a shiver run through his spine while seeing those burning eyes from Vinnie again. Jesus, he wasn't that scared easily, but these creatures were scary alright. How was it possible Kiwi was involved with them? Maybe the loss of her parents changed her. Enough to make the wrong friends… She clearly needed help. So, despite his own fear, he stayed where he was and cleared his throat.  
"The damage is already been done", he bravely continued. "To all the bikes. It's infecting their whole system…"  
He kneeled down and grabbed something off the floor and studied it.  
"This is the virus chip that did the job…", and he showed it to the mice, who were looking back with narrowed eyes.  
Such a small thing with such a great impact.  
It was hard to believe something that small was responsible for all this.  
Chaz grabbed the piece of paper again, and pointed at the peaks in the lines.  
"You can see the virus patterns, right here…", he started to explain, but before he could continue, the bikes suddenly started their engines.  
Completely outta the blue.  
They all turned around, seeing the bikes flashing their headlights at them and revving their engines.  
Chaz his mouth fell open, he had never seen anything like this.  
The mice were also surprised, not because the bikes were starting all by themselves, I mean, they were used to that, but more because of the fact they did it without them giving the order.  
"The bikes… They're gonna flatten us!", Kiwi called out and the bikes suddenly sped forwards, straight towards them.  
She suddenly felt two strong arms around her waist and before she knew it, she was lying on the floor a few meters away. Chaz was pulled away by Modo, who'd jumped the other way, same as Throttle. The bikes crashed through the garage doors and drove away full speed.  
"You okay, sweetheart?", Kiwi heard that low voice in her ear and she shivered.  
"Yeah…"  
"Good", he whispered and softly set his teeth in her ear.  
Her whole body trembled, she was almost embarrassed about this heavy reaction. But it was such a long time ago now since…  
Vinnie broke her outta her thoughts, gently helping her on her feet again, while wiggling his eyebrows at her.  
Kiwi shook her head, this mouse had the worst possible timing ever when it came to letting her know he wanted her. But then again, he also loved to tease. She elbowed him and quickly created some distance.  
After winking at her, Vinnie walked to the hole in the door, seeing the bikes driving away in the distance.  
Modo joined him.  
"Man, what was that all about?"  
Vinnie looked at him.  
"Our bikes… Trying to kill us…", he said slowly, as if that fact just now made it to his brain.  
"It's that stink face his virus. He just turned our own bikes against us", Throttle said angrily.  
Vinnie's ears drooped.  
"Ah man, we're worriers without wheels…"  
Kiwi gave him a sympathetic smile.  
"We gotta go after them, bro's", Modo said determined.  
Vinnie turned around and threw his hands in the air.  
"Fine! But on what?"  
Chaz looked around him, there were enough bikes in this garage to choose from.  
Vinnie saw him looking and his lips curled into a arrogant smile while his gaze landed on Kiwi.  
She immediately understood what he was planning and she shook her head.  
"No. No way. These are my father's bikes, Vinnie, you can't take them…"  
"But sweetheart…", Vinnie whined, but Kiwi crossed her arms in front of her chest.  
"It's _not_ gonna happen. I know how you guys handle things. These bikes aren't made for that, you will destroy them. I can't… You can't ask that of me.."  
Throttle nodded, knowing she was right. It was her good right to protect the bikes she loved so much. And it wasn't like he could promise her that the bikes were gonna come out without a scratch. That was a promise made to be broken.  
"Okay, okay… Anything else we can use, maybe?"  
"Your car?", Vinnie suddenly suggested.  
"NO!"  
"Okay, okay, chill… sorry I asked…"  
Kiwi rubbed her chin, and suddenly she remembered something.  
"Well, maybe I got something you can use, but it's…"  
"Great. We'll take them!", Throttle immediately said.  
"But they aren't exactly ideal to…"  
"That's okay, anything!", Vinnie joined Throttle.  
"Yeah, nothing we can't ride!", Modo rumbled.  
Kiwi rolled her eyes and gestured to them to follow her. They walked to the big barn back in the yard, close by the guesthouse and Kiwi put on the light.  
The mice and Chaz followed her inside, the mice ready to rock, but when she pulled away the sheet that was over the vehicles...  
The guys stared at them, their mouth wide open.  
Pink.  
They were pink.  
And it were scooters.  
Like, old lady scooters.  
"Ah, ehm, ah n-n-no way!" Modo was the first one who found back his voice.  
"Forget it, we'll take a bus…", Vinnie agreed.  
"Ehm, Kiwi? Don't you have anything less… ehm less… _froufrou_?", Throttle asked.  
Kiwi smiled and shook her head.  
"No, I'm sorry, guys. If these _mademoiselles_ explode, crash or whatever you're planning to do with them, I couldn't care less. But the bikes and my car… I'm sorry guys…This is all I've got."  
Modo sighed heavily.  
"Guess we have no choice, bro's…"  
Vinnie whirled around so fast, he almost toppled over.  
"Hey, hey! No way! No fucking way I'm gonna be seen on something _that_ uncool!"  
Throttle saw the arrogance on his younger bro's face and sighed.  
"Now _look_ , Vincent…", he started, but the white furred mouse cut him off.  
" _What_ , Throttle? Even if we could catch up to our bikes, we don't know where they went!"  
Vinnie had a somehow smugly smile on his face, thinking this was his way out of driving one of those horrible scooters.  
Ugh, did they forget that he had a reputation to hold on?  
Jesus.  
But it was Chaz who ruined it for him.  
"I can use the virus chip from your radio to set the CB I saw in the garage. The scanner will identify the original radio frequencies from the other two stereos. Just follow the beeps…"  
Vinnie clenched his teeth.  
"Now you listen, _Einstein_ , nobody asked for your opinion, so shut the fuck up."  
But Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder to calm him down and Vinnie knew he just lost.  
FUCK.

When the radio was ready, the mice took place on the scooters and started them. Kiwi opened the doors of the barn, but when she saw three, big alien mice sitting on those small pink scooters, she burst out into laughter.  
Vinnie gave her a glare so deadly, she immediately shut her mouth again, a faint blush on her cheeks.  
Chaz saw it and rubbed his chin. Hmmm...  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!"  
The mice opened the gas, the scooters hardly had enough power to come into movement with such a huge weight sitting on them, but finally, they were on the road.  
"More like rock and hide…", Vinnie sighed annoyed, making himself as small as possible.  
This was awful.  
This was gonna be a trauma, that's for sure.  
They did what Chaz had said, namely; following the beeps. It brought them to a scrapyard just outside town.  
When they were close to the entrance, they saw Limburger and Karbunkle standing.  
"Great, just great. We can't even make our usual heroic entrance.. This day is getting worse by the minute..", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but to make things even worse, Limburger and Karbunkle turned around. They stared at the mice for a moment, but then burst out into laughter.  
"Oooh, look! It's the _Scooter_ Mice From Mars! Run! Run for your very lives!", Limburger yelled and Karbunkle held his belly, almost collapsing from laughter.  
The mice stopped closeby and they were obviously not amused.  
"Ugh! We want our bikes back, tuna lips! _NOW_!", Vinnie demanded, his tail lashing through the air.  
Yep.  
His ego was gonna need a lot of coolness to recover from this horrible event.  
The scooters spluttered and the engines slowly died. Throttle gritted his teeth. Maybe his ego wasn't that big as Vinnie's, but this was not his idea of having a good time.  
"Yeah, and while you're at it, put Chicago back the way you found it!"  
He pointed at the buildings that were sinking into the ground, since the big cheese was draining all the oil from underneath it by using that oil sucking machine again.  
"Oh dear… I'm afraid reparations are not really my department. Perhaps you'd like to speak with our complaint manager…" and Limburger pointed in the direction of a huge pile of steel.  
"The Mechanic… Muawhahaha!"  
A guy appeared on top of the pile. The mice took a closer look. The guy was half man, half robot. Weird… But not that they were impressed.  
Oh no. Not at all.  
"Yo, tin man. We've come for our wheels…", Throttle said with a low voice.  
The Mechanic laughed, well, they assumed it was laughter. It sounded horrible, very tinny. He raised his hands, his arms were almost the same as Modo's mechanical arm, but his hands were made of flesh. Tools flew into the air, and landed in a truck, a bulldozer and a crane with a wrecking ball. The vehicles looked like they were toasted and not able to ride ever again, but after the tools from the Mechanic disappeared under the hood, they all started their engines.  
"Ah man, looks like dawn of the death meets demolition turby..", Vinnie sighed.  
The crane turned and the wrecking ball hit a pile of damaged cars that was standing next the mice. It started to topple over.  
"Look out!", Modo yelled and the mice quickly jumped off their scooters and made a hasty retreat.  
The cars fell down and flattened the scooters while landing.  
"So much for the scooters…", Modo stated dryly.  
"Well, think of it as a mercy crusher", Vinnie snickered relieved.  
But no time for chit chats. The three vehicles, that were now under the command of the Mechanic, came right towards them and they quickly split up.

Throttle got followed by the bulldozer, and the machine forced him towards another pile of car wrecks. The tan furred mouse turned around, seeing the bulldozer was about to flatten him. He quickly climbed on the pile of cars, jumped on the roof of the bulldozer and jumped off at the back and made a hasty retreat. But the bulldozer turned around and continued his mousehunt.  
Meanwhile, Vinnie got followed by the truck. He grabbed two flares and lit them.  
"Here, have some meals on wheels", and he threw the flares into the truck while jumping outta the way.  
They exploded and flames came outta the cabin, but the truck didn't stop. It turned around and came back towards Vinnie.  
"Guess it still wants dessert…"  
Modo was having his hands full with the wrecking ball, who was trying to crush his head. Or his body that was attached to it. But Modo had other plans. He wasn't gonna leave this world by getting crushed by a zombie wrecking ball.  
When the thing flew past him again, the gray furred giant jumped on and used the swing to jump in to the cabin.  
 _(A/N: while watching this scene, the only thing that kept repeating in my head was; "I came in like a wrecking baaaaall!" Really, I took me a couple of minutes to stop laughing and continue the story XD.)  
_ He took place behind the controls and took over, although it was clear the Mechanic tried to stop him. But he failed. Luckily, the gray furred giant was strong.  
"Right this way, bro's!", Modo yelled and Vinnie and Throttle followed him, running as fast as they could. The truck and bulldozer were still behind them and Modo turned the machine and shot the chain of the wrecking ball in one movement.  
The ball flew through the air and crashed against the truck, which slid backwards because of the force, crushing the bulldozer in the process.  
Modo blew the smoke away from his arm cannon and looked down at his bro's with a smugly smile on his face.  
"Eightball in the side pocket!"  
Still smiling, he put the vehicle in drive and steered it towards the now outta order truck and bulldozer. Right before impact, he jumped out and the crane crashed against the truck.  
"Quick, bro's! Nail them!" and Throttle grabbed his laser gun, so did Vinnie. Modo used his armcannon and they fired their laser. The whole pile of vehicles exploded.  
Vinnie turned around, a arrogant smile on his face, and looked at the Mechanic.  
"Heeey rusty butt! Haven't you got anything better than those tinker toys?", but from the moment the last word came outta his mouth, he heard a all too familiar sound. The sound of his bike, revving her engine...  
They all three turned around and saw their bikes coming into view.  
"I think the answer to that question would be yes, Vincent…", Throttle sighed.  
"Oh, my little darling, who would've thought?", Modo moaned, looking at his precious bike that suddenly came into movement, along with the bikes of his bro's and the mice quickly jumped outta the way to avoid a crash.  
They landed on their bellies and Vinnie slammed his fist against the floor in frustration.  
"Now what? Can't shoot at our own bikes, now can we?!", he growled, looking at Throttle.  
"No, no. But whatever we gotta do, we better do it now, before Chicago becomes the second sinking city", the tan furred mouse said, looking at the buildings that were still slowly sinking.  
They climbed on their feet, but the bikes were already coming back for another round.  
"Time for a little rodeo riding, parts!", Throttle ordered and the mice jumped on their bikes when they got close enough.  
"Gotcha, gotcha", Modo breathed.  
"Aaaaoow, back in the saddle!", Vinnie cheered.  
But the Mechanic raised his hands and the bikes suddenly hit the brakes. The mice flew off again, landing hard on the ground.  
Modo looked at the half robot, half man, his eye glowing red.  
"Look pal, I'm about had it with ya…", he started, but the bikes were already on their way towards them again.  
"Looks like we're gonna get smashed by our own wheels, bro's…", Throttle said slowly.  
The bikes stopped in front of them, their weapons aimed and their engines roaring.  
"Easy now, little Hoss, easy now… It's me…", Modo tried to sooth his bike.  
"Yeah… Don't you remember me, baby? I always fed you premium!", Vinnie pleaded while scrambling backwards.  
The bikes popped a wheelie, ready to attack, but somehow, they didn't.  
The Mechanic raised his hands and gave them the order again, but instead of attacking the mice, the bikes turned around and shot at the Mechanic, who fell off the pile of cars because of the impact of the lasers.  
"Yaaahooo!", Modo cheered, while Throttle and Vinnie high fived.

Throttle suddenly got a idea and quickly grabbed the virus chip that was inside the CB. He walked towards the Mechanic, that had landed close by them.  
He clenched his fist and hit the guy two times in the stomach, and since that was made of flesh, the villain bend forward in pain. Throttle opened a small hedge on his back and put in the virus chip.  
"Cold season… Be careful you don't catch a nasty virus!"  
The robotman started to make jerky movements, smoke came outta his head and he walked towards Limburger and Karbunkle, who were still watching everything from a small distance. Limburger looked pleading at Karbunkle.  
"Ehm, doctor, this isn't going at all well... " and he ran away. Karbunkle froze, but the Mechanic walked past him and went after Limburger.  
"Don't worry, my reeking cheesiness! I can repair the Mechanic with this virus disinfector!", and he held up a device. But before he could say or do anything, a gray tail whirled around it and snatched it outta his hand.  
"Disinfector, huh? Thanks, just the word I needed to hear!", Modo said, taking the device from his tail. Karbunkle walked towards him, but Modo punched him knockout and the bro's used the device to heal their bikes.  
"Ah, the best seat in the whole universe", Modo sighed happily when he took place on his beloved bike.  
"Yeah, but Chicago is still going down for the count. Let's waste that oil sucking sucker!", Throttle ordered, pointing at the same vehicle Greasepit had used this morning.  
They drove to the machine and Throttle climbed into the cabin, looking at the controls.  
"Now, let's see if this baby works in reverse", and he pulled a lever.  
It worked. The machine started to spit out the oil and the buildings started to rise again. Limburger was making his hasty retreat at the same time. When the machine was empty, Throttle looked down at his bro's.  
"Bro's, I think it's time to a little oil wildcatting ourselves… Let's ROCK…"  
"...and take the shortcut!", his bro's finished.

When Limburger climbed outta his limo, he smiled while looking at his beloved building.  
"Ah, home sweet skyscraper home…", but he suddenly saw something in the corners of his eyes.  
"What!?"  
"Good news, cheese face. You're about to strike oil!", Throttle smiled.  
They had hooked the oil sucking machine into the ground close by LP and the other end into the building, so when Limburger looked up, oil suddenly exploded outta the roof of his building.  
"Oh don't worry, boss. I get them mousies!"  
The mice and Limburger turned their head, looking at Greasepit who, again, had a grenade in his hand.  
Limburger's eyes grew big.  
"Nooooo!"  
But Greasepit clearly hadn't learned a thing from the events this morning and pulled out the pin.  
The mice shook their heads while laughing and when Greasepit threw the grenade at them, they quickly revved their bikes.  
"Ride free, Limburger!", they yelled in unison and sped away.  
The explosion behind them was huge and they high fived, while cheering loudly and started the journey back home.

"Thanks for helping them, Chaz", Kiwi said.  
Chaz leaned back on the couch, a weird expression on his face while looking at Kiwi, who was sitting next to him.  
"No problem. It doesn't change my opinion about them, though…"  
Kiwi studied him and took a sip of her tea.  
"And what _is_ your opinion about them?", she asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but her voice was a little shaky.  
She'd tried to get him outta her house, but he still refused and the only reason she hadn't grabbed her gun to _make_ him listen to her, was because he'd helped the mice with their bike problem. Well, maybe that wasn't the only reason. To be honest, she was also a little lost in how to handle this situation. I mean, he used to be her best friend. She knew him for a couple of years now. She'd met him during college and they immediately became friends. He used to be a down to Earth guy, who was also very funny and friendly. They'd started dating the year before she lost her parents, it wasn't _that_ serious, but they were just having fun together. Even if he was annoying her right now, she noticed she had a hard time to literally _kick_ him outta the house.  
Chaz broke her outta her thoughts by answering her question.  
"They're from outta space, they drive bikes that are made to kill, they're armed to the teeth and your ehm… _boyfriend_ seems to have some serious anger issues. So what do you think what my opinion is?"  
Kiwi folded her hands around her mug, staring at the tea. She had no idea what to say. She somehow could understand where he was coming from. His first impression of the mice wasn't really a good one. He'd met them in the middle of a mission, where things didn't go as they'd planned. That always made them a little bit grumpy. And she somehow had the feeling that he wasn't gonna believe her if she would tell him they weren't always like that.  
Chaz slowly reached out to her arm and his fingers brushed against her bruised skin.  
"Kiwi… Look what he did to you… Please, just talk to me…"  
Kiwi sighed and looked at him.  
"You don't believe a word that I say to you, I already tried to explain, but you refuse to listen. So why should I even bother?"  
Chaz thought about it for a moment, his hand still on her arm.  
It gave her a very uncomfortable feeling and she shifted her body to create some distance.  
"Chaz, go home. Forget about all this. Just… Please, go home... ", she whispered.  
Chaz slowly leaned forward, closer to her and he lay his hand on her cheek.  
Kiwi's eyes grew big, her heart started to beat faster.  
No way.  
He wasn't gonna kiss her, now was he?

The mice parked their bikes in the garage, pulling off their helmets with a sigh.  
"Man, glad to have my own ride back…", Modo sighed happily, patting his bike on the side.  
Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, these scooters…", but he couldn't finish that sentence.  
" _Don't_ talk about that. Ever again", Vinnie growled, stepping off his bike with a annoyed look on his face.  
He was hungry, tired, his head was killing him, a sign he still wasn't completely back on his usual energy level and he had a huge dent in his ego. Next to all that, he'd met Kiwi's ex boyfriend, who now knew about them and that made his mood even worse. This was just one of those days…  
He walked into the living room, but stopped death in his tracks when he saw something that made him even more cranky.  
Okay, okay, let's stay honest, now shall we? It made him more than just cranky. It fired his anger like a missile, truth to be told.  
Throttle bumped into him because of his sudden stop.  
"Vincent, just move along, will ya…", he murmured, while adjusting his glasses, but when he looked over his younger bro's shoulder, he froze too.  
Modo, on his turn, bumped into Throttle and opened his mouth, but soon closed it again.  
Chaz and Kiwi were sitting on the couch and _that_ human male was holding one hand against Kiwi's cheek, while leaning forward.  
Kiwi seemed to be frozen and they both obviously didn't notice the mice their presence.  
Yet.  
Vinnie's heart almost exploded outta his chest and he clenched his teeth, the tip of his tail twitching.  
Throttle closed his eyes for a moment and then quickly grabbed Vinnie, but the white furred mouse yanked himself free and marched straight towards the couch, while clearing his throat.  
"I'm not interrupting something, now am I?"  
Chaz's eyes flew open and Kiwi jumped up as if she got stung by a bee. Vinnie grabbed her arm, gently though, and pushed her behind him, while his tail wrapped around her waist protectively.  
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear earlier…", Vinnie said between clenched teeth, his voice so low, it sounded more like a growl.  
Chaz quickly jumped off the couch, his hands in front of his body, but Vinnie did a few steps forward and his nose almost touched Chaz his nose now.  
"You really shouldn't touch _my_ girl…"  
Chaz almost stopped breathing while looking into those burning eyes again, but he didn't burdge this time.  
No, the opposite.  
He made himself tall and poked one finger against Vinnie's chest.  
"Maybe you should take your own advice, pal…"  
Vinnie's eyes grew big for a moment, obviously very surprised the guy had the nerve to stand up against him. But then the words dawned on him and he narrowed his eyes.  
"What the fuck are you talking about?", he asked, a little confused.  
Kiwi shook her head behind Vinnie's back, looking pleading at Chaz. God, he was only gonna make things worse… And things were already bad enough.  
But Chaz ignored her, still looking at Vinnie.  
"Look who's playing the innocent guy now. You can drop the act. Look at her arms."  
After giving Chaz one more glare, Vinnie turned around and looked at Kiwi, who was trying to hide her arms behind her back.  
"Vin, it's nothing, it's all just one misunderstanding…", but Vinnie gently took one arm and stretched it.  
When he saw the bruises, his heart skipped a beat.  
"Sweetheart… Did I do that?", he asked, his voice a little shaky.  
Kiwi quickly lay a hand against his cheek and gave him a loving smile.  
"You were panicked because of your radio, it's nothing, love, really…"  
But Vinnie cupped her head in his hands, his eyes burning with guilt.  
"That doesn't make it right, I… Jesus, sweetheart, I'm sorry, I had no idea…"  
"Shhhh, it's okay."  
Vinnie planted a kiss on her forehead and Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his touch. But suddenly, she heard someone clapping in his hands.  
Kiwi and Vinnie froze and the white furred mouse slowly turned around. Chaz was giving them a nice round of applause.  
"Great performance, really, I'm impressed…"  
But then his face darkened and he stopped clapping.  
"But I definitely ain't buying it. Maybe Kiwi does, but I ain't..."  
Throttle finally intervened and lined himself up between Vinnie and Chaz.  
"Hold up, hold up. You're saying you think Vinnie here is _abusing_ Kiwi?", he asked with a low voice, clearly not amused.  
"That's exactly what I'm saying…", Chaz nodded, his arms crossed before his chest.  
"That's some real serious accusation, pal. And totally unjustified, I can tell ya that."  
"Sure you do, he's your friend. It would surprise me if you wouldn't stand up for him."  
Throttle grabbed the human boy by his shirt.  
"Now you listen up, he's not _just_ a friend, he's my _bro_. Family. I know him for years, I live with him for years now and I know he would never do anything to hurt Kiwi on purpose. Now, this conversation is over and you're gonna leave this house all nice and quietly…"  
"...or we'll make ya…", Modo growled, popping up next to Throttle.  
"...and not very gently...", Vinnie added, his arm around Kiwi.  
The poor human girl was having a battle with herself. She wanted to stand up for Chaz, but the mice were right.  
This was serious. And he couldn't be more wrong. So, she said nothing.  
Chaz took a deep breath.  
"Fine. Fine…"  
Throttle nodded and let him go, but to their surprise, Chaz wasn't finished yet.  
"But I'm taking Kiwi with me…"  
Vinnie let out a humorless laugh.  
"Right, very funny. Now get the hell outta here before I _really_ lose my patience."  
Kiwi was studying Chaz's face. A bad feeling crept over her.  
"Are you sure about that?", Chaz asked, a smugly look on his face.  
Throttle rubbed his chin, not liking the look on that guy's face.  
What was he up to?  
"You seem to forget that I'm holding all the cards here. You see, if I'm forced to leave this house alone, I think I'm gonna have myself a little chat with the government. Ya know, to tell them about your… little secret. I'm sure they're gonna be _very_ interested in the fact that there are aliens in town… And in case you're gonna tell me they won't believe me, I've got the proof right here...", and he held up his phone, showing them a picture he'd made in the garage earlier this night. "Oh, and before you even _think_ about destroying my phone, I've already sent a copy to my computer…"  
Kiwi's mouth fell open. No way… He wouldn't dare, now would he?  
But the look on his face told her he would.  
Fuck… Now what?

* * *

Oh no! If Chaz is gonna sell them out, the mice really have a huge problem!  
Aargh, another reason to hate the ex boy friend, right? And he's got proof.  
But what do you guys think?  
The mice are never gonna let this happen, right?  
Or maybe they just can't stop it this time…  
Stay tuned to find out!

Feel free to review and thanks for reading my story!  
Later guys!


	48. Chapter 47

Hey y'all. Thank you so much for the reviews.  
Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas. I mean, for a lotta people Christmas isn't the most wonderful time of the year, but the most lonely time of the year. So I hope y'all were surrounded by people who you love and likewise. It's all you need, really.

 _When life leaves us blind, love keeps us kind._

Anyway, enough with the mushy talk and onto the next chapter. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty seven**

Everybody stared at Chaz, but then Throttle sighed.  
"Well, bro's, looks like we've got ourselves a little prince charming on his shiny white horse over here."  
"Shame. I was _almost_ starting to like the little guy", Modo answered dryly.  
Chaz looked at them, a little puzzled. This apparently wasn't the reaction he was hoping for.  
Kiwi gently made herself loose from Vinnie and walked over to Chaz.  
"You can't be serious, right? You know there's no chance in hell I'm coming with ya, that I'm gonna walk out that door and leave my family behind..."  
"Kiwi, you need to trust me. You need help", he answered softly, gently tucking her hair behind her ear.  
Kiwi slapped his hand away, her face twisted in anger.  
"Don't touch me. Don't you dare to touch me. I thought you were my friend. And yet, you have the nerve to betray me like this…"  
Chaz looked a little sad by these words, but his face soon got blank again.  
"I _am_ your friend, can't you see? I'm doing this for you…"  
But Kiwi shook her head, tears in her eyes.  
"No. If you really were my friend, you would've understand…"  
"So, this is your choice? Are you sure about that?", Chaz asked, a compelling tone in his voice.  
"I choose my family, Chaz. I choose him. It will always be him, why can't you see that?", she answered softly.  
Chaz his face darkened and shrugged.  
"Fine. Just so you know, if they're gonna be locked up in Area 51, that's on you."  
Kiwi's mouth fell open.

Chaz turned around and wanted to walk away, but a white tail snaked around his arm and stopped him.  
"You really don't believe we're just gonna let ya walk out that door, now do ya, sweetheart?"  
Chaz turned around and tried to peel off the tail, but it was no use.  
"Hate to say it, but I'm afraid Vincent is right, prince charming. You ain't going anywhere", Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, we can't let ya just sell us out", Modo said softly, his eye glowing red.  
"So, what are ya gonna do? Keep me here? You can't lock me up here forever…", Chaz called out triumphant, still assuming he had the winning hand.  
But he couldn't be more wrong.  
"Who said something about locking ya up…?", Vinnie asked slowly, his voice low, spinning his gun around his finger.  
Chaz paled now, and Vinnie couldn't believe this guy. Had he really thought they were just gonna let him walk outta this house?  
Honestly… Humans could be so stupid sometimes.  
"Y-y-you're gonna k-kill me?", Chaz stuttered, trying to get away, but Vinnie was still holding him with his tail.  
Kiwi also looked at Vinnie with a allarming look on her face. She was very angry at Chaz, but killing him… that was going too far.  
Throttle walked closer to Chaz and looked down on him.  
"Do we need to?"  
Chaz didn't seem to have a answer to that question.  
"Well?"  
"N-no…"  
"I don't trust this guy, bro", Modo warned his tan furred leader, but Throttle held up his hand.  
"Me neither, Modo. But there are other ways to solve this problem…"  
Chaz relaxed a little..  
"Painful, yes, but not deadly…", Throttle continued with a low voice.  
Chaz tensed again and he looked at Kiwi, a pleading look on his face, but Kiwi lowered her eyes. He'd brought this on himself, by himself. He shouldn't have threaten the mice. That was just the wrong thing to do. She knew now they weren't gonna kill him. What they were planning to do, was still a mystery to her, but what choice did she have? She couldn't let him sell them out. And no way in hell that she was gonna come with him. No way he was gonna take her away from Vinnie.  
"P-p-painful?"  
Chaz was looking at Throttle now, fear written on his face.  
Throttle lifted his glasses and winked at Chaz, before he turned his gaze on Modo.  
"Tie him up, will ya, big fella? I'm gonna prepare myself."  
And he left the living room. Modo quickly walked to the garage to grab some rope.  
Chaz glanced at Vinnie, but the white furred mouse was still having his gun in his hand and he looked back with a murderous look on his face.  
The nerve of this guy. Touching his girl. Threatening them. Threatening him to take his girl away from him.  
If he was the one who called the shots, Chaz would already be dead by now. But that's why Throttle was the leader and he wasn't, he knew that. He sometimes let his emotions getting the best outta him. It maybe felt like the right choice now… but what about later?

Kiwi looked at Vinnie and decided he wasn't gonna kill Chaz within the next minutes, so she quickly followed Throttle, who was in the kitchen, sitting cross-legged on the floor.  
"Throttle, what are you gonna do to him?", she asked while kneeling down in front of the tan furred mouse. She couldn't see if he had his eyes open or closed because of those damn glasses, but he did gave her a little reassuring smile.  
"I'm gonna erase his memory."  
Kiwi's mouth fell open.  
"You _what_?"  
"Just like I said it, babe. No worries, he'll be fine after. He just doesn't gonna remember this."  
"Is… is it really painful?"  
"Not really. That was just to mess with his head a little, I mean, he _did_ have the nerve to threaten us in our own house. Besides, if I want this thing to work, I need him to be scared. It makes this thing a whole lot easier if his brain wants to forget about the whole thing too, ya know? For self protection..."  
Kiwi slowly nodded, fiddling with her fingers.  
"I never knew you could do this…"  
"I never did it before. It's not that easy. And it can be dangerous to mess with the brain like that."  
"Oh… That doesn't make it any better, ya know?"  
"But I don't really have choice, now do I? Well, if it's up to Vinnie, we kill him. But that just ain't who we are…"  
"I know… But… You sure you can do this?"  
Throttle reached out to her, grabbing her hand gently.  
"You're such a piece of work, ya know that, babe? I mean, the guy threatens to take you away from here, to sell us out and you're still worried about his safety. A sign of a good Freedom Fighter. You don't let yourself get blinded by anger. That's good. That makes you special."  
A warm feeling crept over her. The pride in his voice made her eyes fill with tears. Him saying this meant the world to her.  
"Thank you…", she whispered.  
"Don't worry, babe, I won't hurt him. Just let him think I will."  
Kiwi nodded and slowly rose on her feet again.  
"I'll let you prepare yourself. Take all the time you need… I will delete that picture on his phone in the meantime… Oh, and on his computer", and she left the kitchen. Jesus, what a mess. It was just one of those days…

When Throttle walked back into the living room, Chaz was sitting tied up in a chair. He was as pale as a sheet and pure fear was written on his face. Kiwi was sitting on the couch, staring at her feet and avoiding any way of contact with her ex boyfriend. Vinnie was sitting in front of Chaz, hanging in his chair while sharpening his knife. He almost never used it, so it was still sharp as hell, but it was all about the psychological effect it had on Chaz. Modo was sitting on the other side in one of the big fauteuils, tabbing his metal fingers on the arm rest, while staring at Chaz.  
Throttle stopped in front of the boy who looked up at him with watery eyes, sweat on his forehead. His antenna's started to glow red and without saying a word, he bent forward and made contact with the human guy's head. Chaz his eyes grew wide for a moment, but then they closed and his body relaxed. Throttle was leaning on the armrests of the chair with both hands, a concentrated look on his face.  
Kiwi was staring at the scene, when suddenly a familiar scent filled her nose. Vinnie dropped on the couch next to her and pulled her in his arms.  
"Don't worry, doll, he'll be fine", he whispered in her ear. Then, he rested his chin on her head and they both watched how Throttle was doing his Mindwalker thing.  
After a few minutes, Chaz his eyes flew open again, but they looked empty. Throttle broke the connection, breathing heavily. Apparently, it had cost him a lotta energy. He stumbled back, but Modo quickly caught him and helped him on the other couch.  
"You okay, bro?", the gray furred giant asked worried, but Throttle nodded.  
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Just a little dizzy, that's all."  
Chaz suddenly rose on his feet and turned around. His movements reminded Kiwi of the Sims, jerky and rectilinear. He walked to the door, opened it and disappeared in the dark.  
"Where's he going?", Kiwi asked a little urgent.  
"Home. I told him to go home and go to bed and when he's gonna wake up in the morning, he won't remember a thing about today", Throttle answered.  
"Yeah, no sweat, sweetheart. Next to a huge headache, prince charming will be fine", Vinnie said softly, ruffling through her hair.  
"That sounds a lot like hypnose…", Kiwi said hesitantly.  
"It kinda works the same way", Throttle answered.  
Kiwi leaned against Vinnie, and a big yawn escaped her mouth.  
Vinnie smiled and gently lifted her.  
"Come on, doll, lemme bring ya to bed. It was a long day…"  
Kiwi snuggled against his chest and buried her nose into his soft fur.  
"That's the best idea I heard today…"  
"You expected less? Come on, sweetheart, you know I'm full with good ideas."  
"Yeah, yeah…", Kiwi sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Your hands are freezing, babe…", Vinnie said softly when he gently put her back on her feet in her bedroom. "You cold?"  
Kiwi nodded, shivering a little. She was so tired all of a sudden, probably a come down from the adrenaline.  
Vinnie wrapped his arms around her.  
"What you need is a warm bath…"  
"... is you…", Kiwi said at the same time.  
Vinnie smiled and looked down on her, his eyes twinkling.  
"You're tired, doll, what you need is sleep."  
"Vin… I would never do something behind your back, you know that right?", she whispered.  
He looked a little surprised.  
"I know… Why you say this?"  
"Chaz tried to kiss me, and I froze but I… I would never…", she stuttered, but Vinnie lay a finger on his lips. Her beautiful, soft lips.  
"Ssshh… I know, sweetheart, I know. I never said I didn't, right?"  
"No… thanks… for the trust. Means the world to me…", she answered sleepy.  
Vinnie shook his head with a loving smile.  
"Come on, you're almost falling asleep just standing here. Let's get you outta these clothes…" and he slowly undressed her.  
Kiwi was wobbling on her feet, but she looked up at him and bit her lower lip.  
Vinnie saw the look in her eyes and his lips curled into that arrogant smile.  
"Oh, you naughty girl…", he whispered, but he grabbed her pyjama and quickly put it over her head.  
After that, he kissed her gently. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, but Vinnie didn't burdge.  
Honestly, for a mouse that was known for being not restraint, he succeeded pretty good to keep himself under control, Kiwi concluded when he was laying her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. He tucked her in and rubbed her cheek lovingly with his thumb.  
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?"  
She hated to sound so… pleading. She always had respected his bromance with the guys and respected his wishes to sleep in the guesthouse. But sometimes, like now, she had these moments of weakness and she just needed him.  
But to her relief, the white furred mouse quickly undressed and slid under the blanket. She felt his strong arm wrapping around her waist and she pushed her back against his strong chest. His tail wrapped around her ankle and he buried his nose into her hair.  
"Just one night…", he murmured, already on his way to fall asleep.  
He was tired too. She had seen his right eye was standing a little towards his nose when he came back from his mission, one of the last, but small side effects of his brain damage. And a clear sign that he was tired. No surprise there. It was his first mission after all, after that horrible day.  
"Vinnie?"  
"Hmmm…"  
"I love you…"  
"Loveyatoobabe…."  
Kiwi smiled in the dark.  
"Vinnie?"  
"Hmmm.."  
"Maybe we can… ya know? Tomorrow?"  
She could feel him smile against the back of her head.  
She smiled too.  
"Night, Vin…"  
"Night, babe…"

The next morning, she woke up from the feeling of his fingers sliding softly over her skin. She slowly opened her eyes with a small smile around her lips.  
"Morning, sweetheart… Somewhere, deep down in my brain, I have this vague memory of you almost begging me for some morning exercise... ", her macho mouse whispered in her ear, while his hand slowly crawled under her shirt.  
Kiwi smiled and she wanted to turn around so she could look at him, but he stopped her, still holding her tightly. She could feel his breathing against her ear. She could feel his strong arm around her, one hand that was now covering one breast. His strong, muscular chest against her back. His tail holding her legs.  
So, he wanted to play the bossy macho mouse? Fine by her. But not without teasing him back.  
She suddenly pushed her lower body against his, feeling how he was almost ready. She moved her hips, rubbing against him, and she could feel the effect. His body tensed and his breathing accelerated. He grabbed her hair and pulled back her head. She smiled. He kissed her neck, his lips made their way to her ear and he suddenly set his teeth in it. A bittersweet pain jolted through her body and she closed her eyes.  
"So, tell me, Kiwi…"  
Oh man, that voice.  
Saying her name.  
"How do like your morning exercise?"  
He was still pulling on her hair, his lips close to her ear, his hand still under her shirt, his fingers brushing her skin.  
She wasn't cold anymore. Jesus, hell no.  
"You want it to be sweet, mushy and romantic…?", he continued, while kissing her neck between the words.  
Her heart started to beat faster. His hand now slowly made its way down, into her pants...  
"...or rough and dirty?" and he bit her again at the same time his fingers slid inside of her.  
Her body gave the answer. Apparently, she wasn't the type for sweet, mushy romance. Well, sometimes she was. I mean, every girl needs her dose of romance once in a while. But when he bit her, when she felt his fingers, her whole body suddenly caught fire, well, if that was possible, that is. It was the best way to describe it. Her body wanted it rough. She loved it. Just as much as she loved this mouse.  
"There's your answer", she whispered, and she yanked herself free, rolled over and ended on top of him. Now she finally could look him in the eye.  
And oh boy, he was ready, alright.  
His ruby red eyes were burning with lust and desire, his lips were curled into that arrogant, but also dirty smile.  
Kiwi gave him a mischievous smile back and slowly took off her pyjama shirt.  
"You know how I like it…", she whispered with a hoarse voice.  
"Down and dirty…", he answered, his eyes darkened and he grabbed her hips.  
"Yes… but this time… I'm the one calling the shots…" and she leaned forward.  
He held in his breath for a moment and they both stared into each others eyes. But Kiwi couldn't hold herself back any longer. And she kissed him hungrily, eager to feel him everywhere. He had no problem at all to give her what she wanted.  
After all, there was nothing in this world he wouldn't do for her.

"Morning, bro's!"  
Throttle and Modo looked up and saw their younger bro almost bouncing into the kitchen, a big grin on his face. He walked to the fridge, grabbed a can of rootbeer and closed the door with a bang. A muted tinkling sound came outta the fridge, clearly something broke because of the force with Vinnie was treating the poor thing, but the white furred mouse hardly noticed. He opened the can and drank it empty.  
Throttle and Modo shared a puzzled look. Their bro was way too cheerful for this time of the day. He usually wasn't exactly a morning person…  
They had noticed he hadn't slept in his own bed. So add that to the fact he wasn't moody like he always was in the morning… That could only mean one thing...  
Vinnie burped loud and threw the empty can in the sink, grabbed a chair while turning it around and sat down, his arms leaning on the back of the chair.  
"I missed the warning about Tornado Vinnie this morning…", Modo said slowly, a little annoyed because of the noisy entrance of his younger bro.  
I mean, he wasn't really a morning person either...  
"Me too, bro. Me too", Throttle nodded, but with a slight amused look on his face.  
"That's because I'm unpredictable, bro's", Vinnie answered proudly.  
Throttle almost choked in his rootbeer.  
"Since when do you have so such much self knowledge?"  
Vinnie shrugged, not even the teasing from his bro's was gonna spoil his mood. Not today.

"Morning, guys!"  
Kiwi walked into the kitchen, her hair still wet from the shower, with a dreamy expression on her face.  
"Oh momma…", Modo sighed. They were way too obvious about it. Some things he just didn't wanna know. There wasn't anything he wouldn't share with his bro's, but their sex life, well… No need for that.  
Vinnie glanced at Kiwi outta the corners of his eyes and winked at her, while wiggling his eyebrows and biting his lower lip.  
Kiwi blushed and gave him a shy smile back.  
Throttle chuckled. Yeah, it was obvious these two had one hell of a night. Very obvious.  
The human girl was humming a song while opening the fridge. The smell hit her immediately, but before she could process what it was, a broken jaw fell outta the fridge and ended up at her feet. She looked inside and wrinkled her nose.  
Pickles. Great.  
"Okay, who's closed the fridge too hard… _again_?", she demanded, while turning around and setting her hands in her side.  
"You even need to ask that, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo chuckled.  
"Yeah, I think we all know who's responsible for that… _again_ ", Throttle smiled, while looking at Vinnie.  
"Hey! I can't help it Earthlings make things so fragile that it already falls apart by only _looking_ at it!", the white furred mouse protested.  
"Yeah, sure, blame it on us. These kinda things only seem to happen to you, Vinnie, so what's that saying about you?" and Kiwi rolled her eyes, but she still had a smile on her face. Even this couldn't ruin her mood.  
This morning had been… so wonderful.  
Vinnie saw it and smiled proud.  
Throttle and Modo shared another look and Throttle sighed.  
"Okay, Romeo, that's enough. I was thinking, why don't we go for a ride today? All of us…", he added while looking at Kiwi, who froze for a moment.  
Sure, practise was going fine. But she still wasn't feeling confident on a bike. Was she really ready to go on the road? She'd only practised in the big garden so far...  
"Great idea!", Vinnie exclaimed. "No sweat, sweetheart, you got this."  
Kiwi sighed and started to clean up the mess.  
Yeah, _sweetheart_ … you got this.

She didn't got this.  
She was sitting on the bike and the mice were waiting for her to start the engine. But she somehow was scared. She wasn't sure why. She had practised with Vinnie many times now and things were going fine. But only in the garden… Maybe that was what's making her anxious. Also, she had this strange urge to proof herself towards Throttle and Modo. What if she let them down?  
Vinnie noticed her hesitation and jumped off his bike, a determined look on his face. He climbed behind her and his strong arms wrapped around her waist.  
"You can do this, babe. It's not _that_ much different than riding in the yard. Besides, we've got your back. So, enough with the lingering", he added firmly, and Kiwi tensed. She recognized the tone in his voice. He was up to something.  
And how right she was.  
He quickly started the bike and grabbed both of her hands that were already on the handlebars. She tried to pull them back, but he was too strong. His left hand grabbed the clutch, his foot shifted the bike into first and he opened the gas. The bike came into movement, not too fast, but fast enough for Kiwi to breath in sharply. What the hell was he doing? But she found out soon enough. When the bike gained speed, he jumped off, so Kiwi had no other choice than to take over control and she drove into the yard, yelling at Vinnie.  
"VINCENT VAN WHAM, I'll get you for this!"  
Vinnie smiled arrogant and jumped on his own bike.  
"Promises, promises…"  
Then, he looked at his bro's, who were shaking their heads.  
"What? It worked, right? Trust me, otherwise we would be here for another hour, waiting for her to start that damn bike, since she seems to think you can start it by only _staring_ at it. Sometimes, she just needs a little asskicking…"  
He smiled his most charming smile and hit the accelerator, making him almost fly outta the garage, his bike roaring loudly.  
His bro's followed him, still shaking their heads. But when they saw Kiwi was now riding circles in the yard, a confident look on her face, they realized Vinnie was right. It was very clear that Vinnie's stunt was exactly what she'd needed.  
"Alright you mamma jammers!", she yelled happily while driving towards them.  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!", the mice finished in unison, smiling about her enthusiasm.  
This girl kept surprising them. They were happy they'd found her. She really was a piece of work.

When they were outta town, that somehow went surprisingly smooth, the road ahead of them was completely empty.  
Vinnie popped up next to Kiwi.  
"Alright, sweetheart, time to speed up."  
Her heart skipped a beat.  
"What, no, I…"  
"You're driving 30 miles per hour, doll, hardly even exciting", Vinnie pointed out dryly.  
"What's wrong with driving 30 miles per hour?", she asked, but she already regretted that question.  
"You really ask Vinnie that?", Throttle chuckled while driving up next to her.  
"Yeah, stupid. You don't have to answer it, though", she added hastily, while giving Vinnie a quick glance before turning her attention back on the road again. But it was too late.  
"I'm the king of speed!", Vinnie cheered while popping a wheelie. "The road is my empire! Obey! Obey, or feel the heat of my burning rubber! AAAOOWW!"  
"Puhlease…", Throttle sighed, shaking his head.  
"We really gotta cut his TV hours", Modo agreed.  
Kiwi, ignoring all this, let out her breath and slowly gained some speed.  
And more.  
And more.  
At first, it felt scary. As if she could lose control any moment. But then it dawned on her. She knew what she was doing, right? To her surprise, Vinnie turned out to be a good teacher. Maybe a little impatient sometimes, but that was exactly what she needed. So, why would she lose control?  
And she suddenly felt something change. The invisible blockade, that was holding her back, was gone. And for the first time she rode a bike, she really enjoyed it. To realize such a powerful machine did exactly what she asked, the wind that was pulling on her clothes, it all gave her a feeling of complete freedom and power. She really was doing this. She gained even more speed and let out a happy cheer.  
"THIS IS GREAT!"  
"Aaaooww, you're doing it, Kiwi, you're really doing it!", Vinnie cheered back, pride clearly hearable in his voice.  
"Way to go, Kiwi ma'am!", Modo yelled.  
Freedom.  
This was how freedom was feeling.  
And Kiwi howled happily, driving her bike with confidence now and finally, she felt complete.  
She had a home.  
She had a family.  
She had a place where she belonged.  
And for the first time ever, she felt happy. Satisfied. That annoying voice that used to be in her head every day, every hour, every minute, that was always whispering that her life sucked, that _she_ sucked, was gone.  
Finally, it was gone.

"You guys ever had alcohol before?", Kiwi asked nonchalant.  
With a loud bang, she set a big bottle on the table. After driving for hours, Kiwi had suggested to take a motel. They all could use a little change of environment, even if it was just for one night. You know, like a small vacation. The mice had agreed, always in for something new. So, here they were. Sitting in the biggest room the motel owned, big enough for six persons. Six human persons, that is. So, three big Martian Mice and one small human girl fitted in perfectly.  
It had a small living room with a open kitchen, three bedrooms and a little bathroom. But it was good enough.  
Modo looked curious at the bottle, slowly coming upright on the small couch he was chilling on.  
"Alcohol?", he mumbled, and he grabbed the bottle to study it. Then, he looked at Kiwi with a blank expression on his face.  
"I have no idea what this is, Kiwi ma'am."  
Throttle dropped on the couch next to Modo and the gray furred giant handed him over the bottle. Their fearless leader looked at it for a moment, then shrugged, also clueless.  
Vinnie jumped over the back of the couch and pushed himself between his bro's, snatching the bottle outta Throttle's hand.  
"Gimme that."  
Of course, he didn't had the patience to study the bottle, no, he just opened it and smelled. His nose wrinkled.  
"Ugh, you sure you can drink this? I mean, it really stinks…"  
Kiwi laughed when she saw the disgust expression on his face.  
"You really think I would give ya something…", but before she could finish that sentence, the white furred mouse put the bottle against his mouth and took a big gulp.  
His bro's watched him closely when he swallowed it. His cheeks turned red and tears jumped in his eyes.  
"Woa, this is…", he managed to squeeze out between coughing, and he pulled his bandana when he felt the drank burning down in his throat.  
Kiwi giggled. Of course, she _could_ have warned him that taking a sip that big of whiskey wasn't that much of a good idea...  
But hey, where's the fun in that?  
"What is it, bro? You okay?", Modo asked worried, looking at Vinnie's red cheeks.  
"Kiwi, what…", Throttle started, but then a big grin appeared on the face of his younger bro, making the tan furred mouse closing his mouth again.  
"This is awesome!", Vinnie cheered, taking another sip and gave the bottle to Modo.  
"You really should try it, big fella."  
Modo hesitated, but then followed Vinnie's example. The big guy almost spit it out again when he felt the burning in his throat, but managed to keep it inside. His face twisted into a disgust expression and Kiwi burst out into laughter.  
"Oh momma… Kiwi ma'am, what on Mars is this?", Modo coughed, giving the bottle to Throttle while wiping off his mouth.  
"It's called whisky. One of the many alcoholic drinks we have on Earth. We drink it when we have something to celebrate, or when we go out, or to…"  
' _Ease our pain…'  
_ She quickly cleared her throat, no way she was gonna say that out loud.  
"Anyway, I thought me riding a bike was a good enough reason for celebration. Me, I'm more of the whine type, but this was all I could find now."  
Throttle sniffed at the bottle and shook his head.  
"No way I'm gonna drink this. It smells like trouble."  
Kiwi stared at him. He really was a leader, now wasn't he? Because he was right. Alcohol, most of the time, meant trouble.  
Throttle gave her a meaningful look, but Kiwi felt somehow a little bit rebellious. She had lived in the darkness for so long. Now, it was time to start living again. To be the girl she was before she lost her parents.  
"Trouble, 'ey?", Vinnie asked, rubbing his chin. But then, his face lit up and his grin almost split his face in half.  
"I'm a trouble magnet and don't you know it", and he grabbed the bottle again.  
Kiwi giggled and quickly walked to the kitchen to grab some glasses.  
Suddenly, Throttle was standing behind her.  
"You sure this is a good idea?", he whispered.  
"Ah, Throttle, lighten up. I can promise ya nothing that bad can happen", she smiled at him.  
"Nothing _that_ bad? What do ya mean, babe?"  
"Worst case scenario; we get drunk. Come on, Throttle, live a little. Just let go off… _everything_. Just for one night?" and she looked up at him with pleading eyes.  
Throttle sighed, knowing he couldn't resist those damn puppy eyes.  
"Okay. Okay. Guess I'm just gonna have to trust ya on this one…"

Kiwi was looking at Modo, who was telling passionately about his family.  
One thing was very sure. Alcohol did make their tongues a lot looser when it came to tell her about their life on Mars.  
"My sister was only sixteen when she got Rimfire, still living at home with us, and oh momma, that boy made my momma's fur turn gray sometimes. But that didn't stop her from loving him as her own son. We all had our hands full with that little wild man, even as a baby he was already getting himself into trouble all the time… Oh momma, how I miss those days…", he sighed.  
"Remember that one day when I came over and Rimfire was rolling in the dirt outside?", Throttle chuckled.  
"How can I forget? We had to go to a party later that night, needed to dress up all fancy and stuff… Rimfire kept whining he looked stupid, but my momma told him he didn't had a choice. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and we found him rolling in the dirt like a saber squad taking a mud bath", Modo laughed, a nostalgic look on his face.  
Kiwi laughed too, seeing the image of a small Rimfire with dirt all over him. And even if she already kinda knew, hearing him talking about Rimfire like this, this _passionate_ , made very clear to her that Modo adored children. They clearly were his soft spot.  
"Your momma was so pissed", Throttle smiled, taking another sip from his whiskey.  
"Yeah, yeah, she was. She could be one dangerous woman sometimes", Modo smiled lovingly.  
"Hell yeah, she was dangerous, alright", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
"Yeah, you would know", Throttle started and he looked at Kiwi. "Vinnie here was very good in getting on her nerves, sometimes."  
"Geez, why am I not surprised?", Kiwi giggled.  
"Don't know what you guys are talking about, she adored me", Vinnie smiled lazily, hanging on the couch with his legs wide, to drowsy to keep them together.  
"She did, though. She loved you both as her own family. She was one special woman…", Modo sighed, a now sad expression on his face.  
"I'm sure you miss her…", Kiwi said softly.  
Modo nodded.  
"You have no idea…"  
"What about your sister? Is she... ", but Modo already shook his head.  
"She died when Rimfire was six years old. She was sick. The one good thing about her dying is that war has been spared her. At least she didn't had to see what the Plutarkians did to Mars…"  
"God, I'm so sorry, Modo…"  
The gray furred giant gave her a sad smile, but said nothing.  
There was a silence for a moment. Kiwi could feel her cheeks burn from the alcohol, a feeling she somehow had missed.  
"What about you, Throttle? You mentioned a sister once?", she asked.  
"Yeah, Ava was her name… She died with my parents when our house got bombed by the Plutarkians... ", the tan furred mouse sighed.  
"Oh Throttle… I'm so sorry…"  
"Don't be. It was a long time ago… But I sure miss them…"  
Vinnie was awfully quiet all of a sudden and Kiwi turned her attention on him.  
"And you, Vin? Brothers? Sisters?"  
Modo and Throttle shared a quick look, knowing their younger bro never talked about his past. They hardly knew anything about his life before they'd met him.  
"Do we really need to talk about family? Can't we talk about some more interesting, like… I dunno, sex?", Vinnie moaned, closing his eyes.  
"No way, I ain't interested in your sexlife", Modo quickly said.  
Vinnie opened one eye and glanced at his older bro.  
"Who said I was talking about _my_ sexlife, bro?"  
Throttle quickly raised his hands.  
"As far as I'm concerned, we ain't discussing _anyone's_ sexlife, for that matter."  
"Agreed. Come on, Vin.. Tell us", Kiwi pushed him a little bit further.  
Normally, she wouldn't dare to. But damn you, whiskey.  
Vinnie closed his eyes again, knowing he had to give them something. Everybody waited patiently, giving him time to think about what he wanted to tell them.  
"A sister…", the white furred mouse eventually answered. He cleared his throat, still not very comfortable with this, but the alcohol somehow made it easier.  
"A _twin_ sister, to be specific."

He might as well have dropped a bomb. Throttle and Modo breathed in sharply and their head jerked into Vinnie's direction, their mouth hanging open.  
Kiwi bit her lower lip, thinking about how to make him talk. But it wasn't necessary. The alcohol did the job for her.  
"Her name was… Mireya… She's got missing when the war started, never heard from her ever again."  
Kiwi needed a little time to process that.  
Modo opened his mouth, but Vinnie pointed a finger into his direction.  
"I swear to God, Modo, if you're gonna say ' _you never told us_ ', I'm gonna have to kill ya."  
Modo closed his mouth again, smiling a little sheepishly. That was exactly what he was gonna say. Stupid indeed.  
"So, she could be still alive?", Kiwi asked slowly, her brain slowly processing this whole thing.  
But Vinnie firmly shook his head.  
"No. She's dead."  
"But…"  
"She's _dead_ , Kiwi."  
She immediately closed her mouth. The way he said her name, so intense, well...  
It was obvious her macho mouse was protecting himself by not having any sort of hope that his sis still could be alive.  
"I dunno, bro, if she's missing, there's a slight chance she might be alive", Throttle mused without thinking. He closed his mouth, somehow surprised he said that. But this… whiskey thing made his head cloudy. Boundaries faded.  
Vinnie's tail lashed through the air and he narrowed his eyes.  
"Oh really? Yeah, well, now you mention it, _bro_ … She's probably having a tea party with Harley. Ya know, that other girl that's got missing? The one I've searched for for _months_? The one who practically vanished into thin air? ", he snarled sarcastic, his fur a little bristled.  
"Vinnie, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking…", Throttle said softly.  
Dammit, he normally wouldn't have said that. This was a very touchy and painful subject for his younger bro.  
"Obviously…", Vinnie growled.  
Kiwi quickly snatched the bottle of whiskey.  
"Okay, you guys had enough. Listen, this is the alcohol speaking, so don't get all riled up in here. I prefer to leave this room behind tomorrow in the same way we've found it."  
Vinnie gave Throttle one more glare before he jumped at his feet.  
"I'm gonna go catch me some z's", he growled and stumbled to his bedroom, clearly having troubles with the side effects of the whiskey. But he made it in one piece and slammed the door behind him with a loud bang.  
Kiwi sighed and looked at Modo and Throttle, who also let out a heavily sigh.  
"I can't believe I said that…" The tan furred mouse shook his head in disappointment.  
"Hope… Hope is a dangerous thing…", Modo mumbled.  
"Yeah… It is…", Kiwi nodded slowly. She got upright.  
"Night, guys. See ya tomorrow. And thanks.. for being so open about your family. Really, means the world to me…", she mumbled, while walking towards the bedroom.

When she walked inside, she saw Vinnie lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't look up when she entered the room and she let out her breath.  
Poor macho mouse.  
She crawled next to him and lay her head on his chest. Vinnie wrapped one arm around her, pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her head.  
"You okay, macho mouse?", she asked, closing her eyes since the whole room was spinning.  
Not that that really worked. She obviously had too much whiskey after being sober for so long.  
Vinnie ignored her question and pulled her on top of him, grabbing her head and he kissed her roughly. His fingers weaved into her hair and pulled on it while his tongue slid into her mouth. She could feel his heat, his despair, all of his emotions when she kissed him back. His breathing became heavier and he kissed her even more hungry.  
He was definitely not okay.  
And really, she wanted to give him what he needed so badly on this moment. And if she wasn't feeling so sick all of a sudden, she definitely would've gave it to him. But she felt her stomach turn and quickly broke off the kiss.  
"Sweetheart, what…", but she pushed herself off of him and ran to the bathroom.  
Oh please, be on time, please…  
She reached the toilet in time.  
Thank god.  
She almost puked the guts outta her body, tears jumped into her eyes while her hands clamped around the toilet seat.  
God, this was why she had swore off the alcohol. She almost forgot. But she wasn't that good in handling alcohol. She remembered now...  
Soft fingers brushed against her cheeks when they gently grabbed her hair and held it outta her face. Her white furred macho mouse sat down behind her, still holding her hair. He said nothing, but that was okay. She wasn't really capable of having a conversation right now.  
When her stomach finally was done with throwing everything out, she leaned back against his strong torso, wiping off her mouth and sighed heavily.  
"You okay?"  
His low voice.  
The feeling of his soft fur.  
His scent.  
His heart beating she felt against her back.  
Everything made her stomach relax immediately. It was so weird, this calming effect he had on her. Really, it was almost magical. Maybe it had something to do with the connection.. She had no idea, but she was happy he did.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay… Jesus, this is why I never drink… This shit always happens to me…"  
He noticed the slight embarrassed tone in her voice and his lips curled into a small smile.  
"Come on, let's get you to bed…" and he gently lifted her in his arms.  
She snuggled against his chest, sniffing up his scent.  
"God, what is it that you're doing to me…", she mumbled, her eyes already closed.  
Vinnie lay her in bed and tucked her in. He watched her for a while.  
He saw her fall asleep.  
He saw her soft skin.  
Her shiny black hair, that was now curling over the pillow.  
That cute nose of hers.  
Those soft lips.  
That small birthmark top left of her lips…  
Never would he have thought he was gonna feel this way about a human girl. But fact was he did. The pain, the guilt about the loss of Harley slowly faded. It went back in the closet and he locked it away, like he always did. Jesus. By only watching her, he was able to calm himself down again.  
He gently stroked her cheek.  
"I dunno, Kiwi, really I don't… but you're doing the same to me…"

The next day, the mice and Kiwi drove back to Chicago in relative silence.  
"You could've told us this whole alcohol thing gives you a huge headache in the morning, Kiwi…", Throttle pointed out dryly.  
"Yeah, ehm, sorry about that, guys… I think I kinda let myself get carried away for a moment…", Kiwi smiled sheepishly. "Totally forgot about the hangover the next day… hehehe…"  
"Well, this sure is the last time I ever touch alcohol again…", Modo groaned, his head filled with a thousand hammers.  
Throttle drove up next to Vinnie.  
"Listen, Vin? I'm really sorry I said that yesterday, I…", but Vinnie waved it away.  
"No biggie, bro. Let's just forget about the whole thing, okay?"  
"Okay, little bro, if that's what you want."  
The white furred mouse clearly didn't wanna talk about this and popped a wheelie.  
"Last one in Chicago needs to clean up the kitchen a whole month!", and he sped away, laughing loud.  
"Ooohh, no way, this is one you ain't gonna win!", Modo yelled and started the chase.  
"Sorry, Kiwi, but I gotta roll", Throttle smiled and before Kiwi could say anything, he was gone.  
"Sure, I'll just drive the whole way back on my own, I mean, where is the fun in traveling together, right?", she called after them, but a little smile curled her lips.  
She also gained more speed, but not to win the race. She wasn't stupid, ya know. There was no way she was gonna win that.

When the mice drove into town, Vinnie suddenly hit the brakes and opened his visor. His bro's almost crashed into him, but managed to stop their bikes next to their bro. Vinnie looked at them, pointing a finger in the sky.  
"What is up with this heavy metal chorus?", he yelled, trying to get over the sound.  
Throttle and Modo opened their visor and frowned. The sound of drills filled their ears. Something was being built somewhere, that was clear. Normally, that wouldn't alarm anyone. But since they were in the old part of Chicago, it immediately made them suspicious.  
Throttle pricked his ears and followed the sound.  
"Hey, look bro's, looks like they're building a new parking structure down the block…"  
His bro's zoomed in with their helmets.  
"Well, well… and guess who seems to be in charge, bro's…", Vinnie smiled. "Greasepit."  
"Oh great, what is that oil leaking dumpster up to?", Modo sighed, his head still killing him.  
"Good question", Throttle started and gave his bro's a knowing look, a little smile on his face.. "Say bro's. How about we go reserve ourselves a parking space?"  
"Just the ticket to get rid of this headache", Modo nodded.  
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air, ready for action. But then again, wasn't he always?  
"Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

"Quit time!", Modo yelled when they crashed through the fence that was surrounding the construction site.  
"And we'll be glad to help punch ya out!", Throttle added when they stopped their bikes.  
"Ahh, geez guys… The mousies wanna help out", Greasepit chuckled towards his goons, who all stopped their work. "I say wes takes a hammers and nail them!"  
He grabbed his gun and opened fire on the mice, who quickly split up.  
The goons also came into action, one of them drove towards Vinnie with a bulldozer. The white furred mouse pushed a button and his weapons came out. He fired a laser at the bulldozer, but it just bounced back. The goon smiled smugly, but Vinnie shrugged. He pulled back his handlebars and jumped into the air. When he was above the bulldozer, he grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin out with his teeth.  
"No problem, then I just nail ya from the top!" and the grenade landed on top of the bulldozer.  
When it exploded, the goon flew outta the cabin because of the shockwave and crashed against a wall, immediately knocking him out.  
"Not so smugly now, ain't ya? Bwahaahaaa!" and Vinnie raced further.  
Throttle was being followed by a forklift truck and he hit the brakes, so he could turn the tables. When he was driving behind it, he shot out a rope outta the front of his bike and the hook grabbed the forklift truck. Throttle popped a wheelie and drove backwards on just his rear tire, making the forklift truck topple over and the whole thing exploded.  
Vinnie drove past three goons that were firing at him and punched them in the face, laughing loud.  
"Toodles!"  
When he drove further, he suddenly saw Greasepit standing, aiming a bazooka at him.  
"Say cheese, moussie... ", he heard Greasepit's low voice and he saw his finger going to the trigger.  
Vinnie smiled his most charming smile, because he saw something that Greasepit didn't.  
Modo popped up behind Greasepit and fired his armcannon and the pile of stones that was standing behind Greasepit exploded, making the oil leaking guy fly away.  
"Sorry, sleazeball.. But we just don't like cheese…"  
He blew away the smoke from his gun, but all of a sudden he saw something that his heart made skip a beat.  
And another one.  
No…  
There was a big hole in the fence, made by his shot. And on the ground behind it was lying a kid…  
Unconscious.  
Bleeding.  
"Oh no…", Modo breathed and he quickly jumped off his bike and ran to the kid.  
When he reached it, he fell on his knees. Tears jumped into his one eye.  
"No… No, no, no…"  
His hands were floating above the body of the kid, he somehow was scared to touch him. He was just a kid. A young boy, around ten years old. His brown hair was soaked with blood, his eyes were closed and… Modo felt a huge pain in his chest. This was his fault. How the hell could this happen? Nothing like this ever happened to him. He was fighting this war for so long now. But this… Oh momma… His heart shattered into a million pieces while he was just staring at the boy.  
Suddenly, a big shadow fell over him and he looked over his shoulder. A crane came closer, a huge metal metal pipe was now dangling above the gray furred giant, who had no place to go, no time to run, because of the kid…  
"Oh momma…"  
But suddenly Vinnie flew through the air.  
"AAAOOWW!" and he shot the rope that was holding the metal pipe. Before it could land on Modo, he shot again and the metal pipe flew away.  
The white furred mouse landed and stopped next to Modo, who was still on his knees, the kid was hidden behind his big body, so Vinnie didn't saw it.  
"Please… save the thanks, the applause, the expensive gifts…", he started, but Modo suddenly turned around and the first thing that hit Vinnie, was the agony on the face of his gray furred bro. Then, he saw the body of the kid and he breathed in sharply.  
"Oh man…"

* * *

Oh man, indeed. Poor Modo. Is he ever gonna recover from this one? This is bad, alright.  
And what about the kid? Is he gonna be okay?

Well, guys, I wanna use this moment to wish you all the best for 2019.  
Another year to follow your dreams, to love the people around you, to have fun and most important; to follow your own path!  
Do whatever you like, do whatever makes you happy.  
A massive thanks to you all for reading my stories and supporting me, really, it means so much to me.  
Hope 2019 is gonna be a good year, filled with good fanfics about our guys, may they never be forgotten!  
Be careful tonight, stay safe and most of all; have fun!

Feel free to leave a review. Till next time, guys!  
Later!

#fuckdepression #makechesterproud


	49. Chapter 48

Hey there!  
Thanks again for the reviews!

Woohoo, another update. Still having time off because of the holiday season, so I have tons of time to write. Next week it's back to life, back to reality, so I won't be able to write every day, I guess. Ah well, we'll see.

So, a big thing is about to happen. A massive game changer...  
Enjoy this chapter! It's a bit sad, though. And a bit shorter than usual.

* * *

 **Chapter forty eight**

"Modo, we can't just walk into a hospital, I'm sorry, but the best we can do for the kid is calling an ambulance…", Throttle tried to reason with the very upset gray furred giant.  
"Throttle, I… This is my fault, I need to…", but Throttle shook his head.  
"I know you wanna help him and we will, but we ain't gonna walk into a hospital with a heavily injured kid. How are you gonna explain that? That you found him? Look at you. They will get suspicious immediately. And you know it, no one…"  
"... can know about us, I know!", Modo growled.  
"Guys!"  
Kiwi's voice.  
Since the guys had a huge head start because of the by Vinnie declared race, she just now arrived in town and she had spotted the guys standing close by a construction site. But when she stopped her bike, she immediately sensed there was something wrong.  
Very wrong.  
She stepped off her bike and pulled off her helmet, slowly walking towards them. When Vinnie turned around, she suddenly saw the body of a kid lying on the ground.  
"Oh no, what happened?", she asked urgently, kneeling down next to the kid.  
His head was bleeding heavily from a wound on the side. It looked like he got hit by a rock or something.  
"Kiwi, you need to call an ambulance, now", Throttle ordered.  
"On it."  
Kiwi quickly grabbed her phone and did what he said.  
When that was done, she looked over her shoulder.  
"But really, what happened?"  
"It… it's m-my f-f-fault…", Modo stuttered, staring at the kid with his one eye still wide open.  
Kiwi shook her head in confusion.  
"What? Modo, this can't possibly be your fault…"  
"It is! I shot at Greasepit and after… I saw him lying here.. Oh momma, I did this…"  
For the first time she knew Modo, she heard panic in his heavy voice.  
Oh no, poor guy.  
She quickly jumped at her feet and grabbed Modo by his arms.  
"That sounds more like a accident to me, big fella…", she said firmly, but she already could see she wasn't gonna get through to him.  
They suddenly heard sirens in the distance and Throttle gave a short, but sharp whistle.  
"Come on, we've gotta book, bro's and ma'am."  
Vinnie and Throttle jumped on their bikes, but Modo was still standing there, staring at the little kid.  
"Modo, come on, there's nothing you can do right now, the ambulance is on its way, they will help him… come on, we need to get ya outta here..", Kiwi tried.  
But it looked like Modo didn't even heard her. Kiwi gave Throttle a pleading look.  
"Modo, let's go. _Now_ …"  
The authority in Throttle's voice did the trick and Modo walked to his bike and drove away, without looking back. His bro's followed him.  
Kiwi looked one more time at the kid with a heavy heart.  
Oh man… this was bad. Real bad…

They stopped around the corner, watching how the ambulance took the boy with them. When he was gone, the mice and Kiwi mounted their bikes and drove through the city back home.  
"You've gotta let it go, big fella…", Throttle said softly, while glancing at the upset face of his older bro.  
"Easy for you to say, I'm the one who hurt a poor innocent kid…", Modo snapped at him.  
"Yeah, but… Wow! Hold up, bro's. And ma'am."

Throttle hit the brakes, so did his bro's and Kiwi. They watched a big truck, surrounded by goons in buggies passing by.  
Vinnie, who was a little nervous because of this whole situation with Modo, was glad with the distraction.  
"Welly well well, if it isn't the goon platoon…", he smiled.  
"Yeah… I'd like to give myself a little look into whatever they're hauling", Throttle nodded. He looked at Kiwi.  
"You go home, babe, things are getting dirty now."  
Vinnie quickly slid off his bike and gave his girl a short, but very passionate kiss.  
"See ya at home, sweetheart", and he winked at her while leaning forward. "Can't wait to finish what we've started yesterday… Ya know, before you almost puked you're whole dinner right over me?"  
Kiwi punched him against the arm, a blush on her face.  
"Argh, you really _are_ annoying sometimes... Gonna miss ya, love", and she winked back. "Good luck guys!"  
When she was gone, Vinnie jumped back on his bike.  
"Okay, it's time to ROCK…", Throttle started.  
"... and RIDE!", he and Vinnie finished and they sped away, but they soon noticed they missed a heavy voice and the sound of another bike. They both stopped and looked over their shoulder.  
Modo was still standing at the same spot, staring down.  
"You ehm… coming?", Throttle asked a little bit confused.  
"W-what?", Modo looked up startled. But then it dawned on him.  
"Oh sure…", and he drove past them on a real slow pace. "Let's rock and… whatever…"  
Throttle and Vinnie shared a worried look.  
"Oh man…", Throttle sighed.  
He wished they had the time to talk about it, but Limburger was up to something and they needed to stop him.  
Later. Later, he would talk to his bro. But he could only hope he was gonna get through to him.

When they caught up with the big truck, with Greasepit behind the wheel, a huger laser cannon came outta the top of the truck and opened fire. The mice zigzagged to avoid to get hit.  
"Ya know, this is just plain rude", Vinnie pointed out, while using his weight to swirl his bike from left to right.  
"Yeah, guess he needs a little finishing school!", Throttle agreed.  
Modo was still awfully quiet, but hey, at least he was with them.  
Vinnie and Throttle shot a rope outta the front of their bikes and the hooks whirled around the handles of the back doors of the truck. When the goons turned around to attack them, the two mice hit the brakes and the doors flew open, slamming right into the face of the goons.  
Modo used this moment to jump into the truck and he fired his jets. He crashed right through the ceiling of the truck and when he was in the air, he shot a rope outta the back of his bike. It whirled around the laser gun and Modo pulled it loose from the truck.  
Greasepit watched into his side mirror.  
"Where the ding dong heck did that mousies go?" and he started laughing when he saw nothing in the mirror. "Haha, must have lost them!"  
"Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear!", Vinnie smiled and Greasepit looked down.  
The white furred mouse was driving next to the truck and clenched his fist with a smugly smile on his face. He punched Greasepit right in the face and the guy slid to the passenger seat.  
"But always remember to check both mirrors!", Throttle chuckled and he also punched Greasepit in the face, making the guy slide back again.  
Greasepit grabbed the wheel and steered to the left. Vinnie saw the space between him and the wall on his left became tighter and tighter, but there was no time to get out. The truck pushed his bike against the wall, making Vinnie crash and the white furred mouse flew off, landing hard on the asphalt. Then, Greasepit did the same at his right, making Throttle crash too.  
They both came to a halt in the middle of the road, too dazed to get up.  
Greasepit turned the truck and drove back to them, ready to drive them over.  
Modo saw it and raised his arm cannon. But when he wanted to fire, he suddenly froze. He saw the image of the young boy, lying there, bleeding..  
"No…"  
Sweat started to from on his forehead and he clenched his teeth. But his body was still frozen and the truck was getting closer to his bro's. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was breathing heavily.  
No… His bro's...  
"Come on, Modo Maverick, you've got this... ", he whispered to himself and he supported his right arm with his left hand and fired. He hit the tire from the truck, that got outta control and right before it could hit his bro's, it crashed against the wall. But it was still capable of driving and Greasepit quickly left the scene.  
"Ah man! Like it's not already hard enough for a Martian to get insurance…", Vinnie complained while pushing himself up.  
"Thanks for the help, bro", Throttle mentioned to Modo, who stopped next to them.  
Vinnie grabbed his bike, that was damaged, but good enough to get through another round.  
"Okay. Time for some payback!", he growled annoyed. "Let's finish off that walking grease stain!"  
Enough was just enough, right?  
"I think…", Modo started. His bro's looked at him and he let out his breath. "I think you can count me out…"  
"Hey, you can't just…"  
"What are ya talking about?"  
Vinnie and Throttle started to talk at the same time, but Modo shook his head in annoyance.  
"Didn't you see? I froze! I almost got you guys killed just now! After what happened to that kid…"  
"Modo, I told ya man, it's not your fault", Throttle said firmly.  
"You've gotta be kidding me…", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
"LOOK! I just can't risk getting my bro's in danger again. I'm no good to anybody this way…" and the gray furred giant revved his bike and drove away. "You're better off without me…"  
Throttle and Vinnie just stared at him, watching him drive around a corner, their mouth wide open.  
"Did he just… he just… Did he just drive away just now?", Vinnie managed to get out, disbelief written on his face. "He really just did that? And what about payback?"  
Throttle grabbed his handlebars tightly.  
"Ain't gonna happen, we're way too vulnerable with just the two of us, Vincent."  
"Great, just great… And all this because of some kid?", Vinnie murmured, but immediately regretted that.  
That was harsh, even for him. Must be the adrenaline talking.  
"Vincent, come on, you know how he is! And even if it was a accident, it wasn't supposed to happen. We're here to keep the citizens safe…", Throttle warned him.  
"I know, I know… but you can't keep them all safe, now can ya?"  
"Maybe not, but this… Ah man, I really have no idea if the big guy is gonna get himself over this one… And if he can't, and Limburger is gonna find out, we're in deep shit, alright…"

Modo was driving without paying attention to where he was going. His heart was pounding in his chest, he somehow had difficulty with breathing. Oh momma, what had he done?  
He always had loved children. When Cami was still alive, they never asked each other _if_ they wanted children, but how many. Family was so important to him. He'd helped raising Rimfire without complaining. Most boys of his age back then, were busy with finding out who they were, trying to understand the transformation of their body while they were slowly turning from little boy into a man... Modo not. He was at Rimfire's side, everyday. He learned him how to walk, to talk, to read… He was there when his mom, his sis, got sick. He was there when she died. He was there when Rimfire couldn't sleep, completely devastated because of the loss of his mom. He almost saw Rimfire as his own son.  
His momma always taught him to treat people with respect. Most important, ladies and children. Especially children.  
Children were pure.  
They didn't judge.  
They didn't lie.  
They were vulnerable.  
It was up to him, to all the adults, to protect them. And he'd failed. That young boy was badly injured because of him.  
He'd failed to protect the vulnerable. And it was killing him.  
He suddenly realized he was at their private spot at Lake Michigan and he slowly stopped his bike, pulled off his helmet and stared at the water.  
His bro's told him it wasn't his fault. Of course they did. They tried to make him feel better about himself. But he knew they were lying. This was his fault, after all. Maybe not intended, but it was him who fired that shot. It was because of him, that kid was now maybe dying, or already dead…  
He breathed in sharply. What if the kid died? What if he just killed a kid just now? How was he ever gonna be able to live with himself?  
He fighted the urge to go straight to the hospital, to just burst in there and check every room until he would find the boy. He knew he couldn't. No matter how lost he felt right now, he knew deep down Throttle was right. He couldn't just walk into a hospital. There were greater things at risk. If the government would find out about them, they weren't gonna be able to stop Limburger. And then, Earth would be doomed, just as Mars. He couldn't risk all that. He couldn't risk the safety of a whole planet because of one kid. He knew, but it still hurt like hell. Because all he wanted right now was to grab the boy's hand, look him into the eye and tell him how sorry he was. And he just wished the boy would look back at him and told him he was gonna be okay. That it was just a scratch…  
Ugh, who was he kidding? He'd seen the blood. He'd seen the look on Kiwi's face when she arrived.  
It was bad. Real bad.  
He stayed at the beach till it was dark. His bro's had tried to contact him, but he had shut down the radio. He wasn't in the mood for talking right now. Nothing they would say was gonna make him feel any better. But he knew he had to go back home, otherwise they were gonna search for him. And he knew they were gonna find him. And he didn't want to face them without at least _trying_ to get himself together.  
So, he revved his bike and started the drive back home.  
Slowly.  
Lingering.  
Oh momma, if you could look at your boy right now… Such a disappointment...

"This is ridiculous guys, where could he be?", Kiwi asked worried, pacing through the living room.  
"Probably driving around the city, no sweat, sweetheart, I'm sure he's fine", Vinnie answered absently, lying listless at the couch and staring at the TV. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.  
Kiwi turned around with fuming eyes.  
"Fine? Fine? Did you see the look on his face? Jesus, Vin, you know better than me he's everything but alright!"  
She didn't want to sound so… hysterical.  
But Modo was missing for a few hours now and she almost climbed up against the walls because of worry. And to make things even worse, Throttle was worried too. He didn't told her things were gonna be okay. And that was when the alarm bells had started to ring. That was a few hours ago now.  
So, I guess nobody could really blame her for being on edge right now.  
Vinnie gave her a warning glare, as if he was trying to tell her the last thing he needed right now was a hysterical girl. Maybe it was indeed the last thing they _all_ needed right now. But she wasn't good in dealing with this nagging feeling of uncertainty.  
Throttle, on his turn, gave Vinnie a warning glare and then looked at Kiwi.  
"He turned his tracker off, he clearly needed some time alone, I…", but before he could say more, the door from the garage slowly opened.  
Kiwi turned around and her heart skipped a beat. She had never seen the gray furred giant looking this… helpless. Not even when Limburger had taken his bike. Not even when it was eleven years ago that he'd lost Cami. Not even when Throttle almost died. Not even when Vinnie was that badly injured.  
Her heart broke for him. His pain became hers.  
"Oh Modo, come here…" and she walked towards him and wrapped her small arms around his huge waist. Modo was just standing there, completely frozen, making no attempt at all to answer her gesture. She slowly let him go and looked up at him, but he was just staring at something behind her.  
Oh boy…  
Vinnie slowly got upright on the couch, his gaze locked on Modo. He bit his lower lip, no idea how to handle this. Probably for the best to keep his mouth shut, before he was gonna say something stupid, like he always did.  
It was a gift, really.  
Throttle was obviously thinking the same, giving his white furred bro his most authoritative look he had, before turning his attention at his older bro.  
"Ah man, Modo…", he sighed while looking at him.  
He knew that look. It was the same look he'd on his face when Throttle had found him with Cami's body in his arms.  
Modo slowly walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He moved like a robot. He was almost lethargic.  
He just sat there. Staring.  
"Look, bro… It may sound like complete bullshit right now, but this whole thing wasn't your fault… It really wasn't", Throttle said softly.  
Modo said nothing.  
He didn't even blink.  
Vinnie was wiggling on the couch, clenching his teeth to keep his mouth shut.  
"Throttle is right", Kiwi said. "You couldn't have know the kid was standing there…"  
Still nothing.  
Another silence.  
Vinnie was having a hard time now. He hated these kinda moments. As if there was a elephant in the room and everybody tiptoed around it. The tension that was hanging in the air was almost too much.  
Suffocating.  
"Talk to us, big fella…", Throttle tried again.  
"We're here for you, you know that, right?", Kiwi added.  
Still no response.  
Vinnie snapped.  
"Modo, bro, you really need to get over this one. The kid was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean, you saved my tail, if you hadn't fired that shot, I wouldn't be sitting her right now… "  
The weirdest thing was that the white furred mouse was right.  
But it was too soon. Too simple. Too painful. Too… harsh right now.  
And the slight arrogant tone in his voice didn't help either.  
Without blinking, Modo was on his feet and grabbed the white furred mouse by his bandana, lifting him up without any trouble.  
"And what does that make the kid? _Collateral damage_?", he growled, his eye glowing red.  
Vinnie flinched, he could hear in the voice of his older bro he really crossed the line this time.  
Dammit. He and his big mouth. He tried to peel off Modo's fingers that were still holding his bandana. The fabric almost cut in the flesh in the back his neck, since Modo used so much strength.  
He gave up his attempt to get free and looked into Modo's eye. Vinnie narrowed his eyes by seeing the pain, the guilt… He had to admit, he'd never seen his bro this upset. He wasn't there when Cami died. They met later on. But he could imagine this was how it had looked like.  
"Something like that…", he blurted out, without thinking.  
Why, for fuck sake why, was the connection between his brain and mouth not doing what's it supposed to do? He knew it, he knew he needed to keep his mouth shut, but as usual, it was already out before he could stop it.  
Story of his life.  
But to his surprise, Modo suddenly let him go and dropped on the couch again, a tormented look on his face. Vinnie quickly created some distance between them.  
"This is my fault… what if he… _dies_?", the big guy whispered, a tear escaped his eye. "What if he dies because of me? Collateral damage. It doesn't make it any better..."  
Vinnie felt a pang of guilt. But he bit his tongue and said nothing.  
Throttle lay a hand on Modo's shoulder.  
"You don't know that. Maybe he's okay. I understand you need time, big fella, but please… stop torturing yourself like this…"  
"I can't. Don't you see? I can't. I did the one thing I swore to never do; I've failed to protect the vulnerable…"  
His voice broke and he jumped up, keeping his head low.  
"I need to be alone right now, I can't do this now, I…", he mumbled while he almost ran away, outta the house, straight to his room in the guesthouse.  
Kiwi shared a look with Throttle. The tan furred mouse let out his breath and adjusted his glasses.  
"Let's just give him some time… That's all we can do right now…", he said softly, pain clearly hearable in his voice.  
Kiwi nodded, her heart sore. He was right. He just needed some time.

Days past.  
Limburger was awfully quiet, but that was a good thing. Because Modo was a mess. He'd locked himself up in his room and nobody was allowed to come inside. They'd tried everything, but nothing worked. The only response they got was Modo telling them to leave him alone.  
Throttle had tried to talk him into going for a ride. But not even his bike could help him right now.  
Nothing could.  
Not Kiwi who told him she'd cooked his favorite dinner; hotdog oven dish.  
Not Throttle who tried to talk some sense into him, the one time calm, the other time authoritative.  
And not even Vinnie, who'd lost his patience and already threatened to blow up the whole guesthouse if that's what it was gonna take to make him talk to them. Luckily, Throttle had dragged him away in time. Kiwi was glad he did. She was kinda attached to her guest house. And to Modo, that is.

"We've gotta do something, guys…", Kiwi mused when they were eating dinner for the fifth time without Modo now.  
"Yeah sure, great idea. Any suggestions what? We've already tried everything…", Vinnie sighed, a little annoyed.  
But Kiwi ignored his tone. She didn't blame him for being on edge. It was a hard time after all. Maybe he hadn't said it out loud, she knew he was worried sick about his older bro. She was too. And so was Throttle.  
"Maybe we can try to figure out how the kid is doing… Ya know, maybe he's already back home, playing with his friends…", she continued, a thoughtful frown on her face.  
Throttle swallowed his bite.  
"What are ya thinking about, babe? I mean, you can't just walk into the hospital and ask, now can ya?"  
"No, but who said something about me going in there? I'm a computer wizz after all... Boring, but handy", she said, winking at Vinnie, who gave her a small smile, but his face soon grew serious again.  
"Maybe boring is just what we need right now", and he looked at Throttle, who nodded.  
"You're right. It's a good idea. Do it."  
But when she opened her laptop, Vinnie suddenly grabbed her arm to stop her.  
"What if the kid's dead? What then?"  
"Then we won't tell Modo, obviously. Maybe, in that case, we need to tell him our own version of the truth…", Kiwi said slowly.  
"You mean _lie_ to him?", Vinnie asked with his eyes narrowed. He clearly didn't like that idea.  
"Let's start with finding out what happened with the kid. Then, we'll make a plan", Throttle cut off the conversation.  
First; facts. They needed facts. That was the most important thing right now.

Modo was sitting on the edge of his bed, where he was sitting for days now. His body somehow had shut down. He didn't need to eat, to drink, to go to the bathroom… He was just sitting there, his thoughts miles away.  
If one of his bro's or Kiwi tried to talk to him, he only had yelled to leave him alone. It was like he turned off his phone and they only got his voicemail.

" _You've reached the voicemail of Modo Maverick. I can't pick up the phone right now, because I'm having a inner battle with myself after hurting a innocent kid. Don't bother to leave a message after the beep, because I won't call ya back."_

How long was he gonna take this? This… feeling. The pain in his chest was unbearable. He'd survived so much. He'd lost the love of his live, he'd seen his home getting destroyed by Plutarkians, he'd lost his arm, he'd lost friends, family… He'd seen the most terrible things on the battlefield, mice dying around him, bleeding to death, exploding into a thousand pieces… But it was nothing. Nothing compared to what this was doing to him.  
His one eye suddenly blinked. His left ear twitched a little. His gaze lowered and landed on his arm. His bionic arm. With a powerful laser gun inside of it.  
He could end this. He could stop this endless misery. Because honestly… He had the feeling... no, he _knew_ he wasn't gonna get over this. He wasn't gonna be able to live with himself. So maybe, maybe… Maybe it was better to just step out.  
But that's the coward way, right?  
He couldn't just leave, right? Not after what he did. He needed to take responsibility for his own actions.  
But that was just the thing. He couldn't. It was too much.  
His armcannon popped out and he stared at it.  
So tempting…

"Almost in…", Kiwi mumbled with her tongue between her teeth.  
Throttle was sitting next to her, looking at what she was doing. It was like magic to him. He knew about computers. He knew how to use them. But this was far beyond his capabilities. He was, despite the whole situation, impressed.  
Vinnie was tapping with his fingers on the table, hardly able to keep himself calm.  
"Yes, I'm in!"  
"Great job, babe", Throttle said impressed and proud at the same time.  
"I saw the number of the ambulance, so that makes it a lot easier…I need to go back to that day, about a hour later after we made the call… Speaking of which, how late did we make the call, by the way?"  
Obviously only talking to herself, she grabbed her phone and scrolled back in her history of made calls.  
"Ah, okay… Lemme see…"  
Vinnie's tail started to twitch. This was boring, alright. And taking forever…  
But he remained where he was. There was nothing else he could do now anyway…

Everything that ever made him happy, that kept him going on his feet, was gone.  
Modo let his thoughts wander to his bro's. But he felt nothing.  
He thought about his bike. But he felt nothing.  
Rimfire. Nothing.  
All he could feel was this devastating feeling of guilt. He felt it in his whole body.  
It made his heart beat loud and irregular.  
It made his stomach feel as if there was a stone inside of it.  
It made his insides twist and turn.  
It made him breath with difficulty.  
And yet, at the same time, he felt numb. As if he was in a trance.  
"Oh momma…", he rasped, his voice raw.  
And he slowly raised his arm…

"Tick tock, tick tock... ", Vinnie yawned, hanging listless in the chair as far that was possible.  
"Would you shut up? I ain't no magician, these kinda things cost time!", Kiwi snapped at him.  
Vinnie sighed exaggeratedly loud as answer.  
"I think I've got something here…", Kiwi said eventually. She opened the file.  
"Clark Meera. 11 years old, brought in with head injury, cause unknown…"  
"That's gotta be him", Throttle nodded.  
Kiwi's eyes were flying over the screen. Vinnie was now sitting upright, a expectant but also impatient look on his face.  
After what seemed a eternity, Kiwi let out her breath and leaned back in her chair.  
"He's okay… Thank the gods, he's okay…"  
Vinnie slammed his fist on the table.  
"Yes! This is gonna change everything, right?", he asked hopeful at Throttle.  
"Let's just hope it does. Kiwi, you wanna tell him the good news? It was you after all who found out."  
"Sure thing", and she closed her laptop. "Lemme get something to drink first."

He felt the cannon against his temple.  
It was cold. Heavy.  
This was it.  
Never would he have thought it would end like this.  
But it was the only way.  
He wasn't gonna be able to live with himself.  
Not like this.  
He was no use to anyone anymore.  
He'd already killed himself by hurting that kid...  
Modo closed his eye.  
His muscles tensed, ready to fire.  
He let out his breath, but then…  
"Modo! Modo, lemme in! I've got something to tell ya!"  
Modo's eye flew open, his arm started to shake all of a sudden.  
He took a few deep breaths and closed his eye again.  
"Modo, please! It's about the kid…"  
He tried to shut her out. He took a deep breath...

 _ ***CRACK***_

Kiwi stumbled into the room, somehow surprised she really succeeded into kicking the door open. But when she saw Modo, holding his armcannon against his head, her stomach dropped and she stopped death in her tracks. The can with root beer slipped outta her hand and landed on the floor with a loud bang.  
"Modo, no… Please, don't do this, listen to me, I…", but Modo interrupted her.  
"Kiwi, please, just go. I don't want you to see this…", he said softly, his voice shaky and breakable.  
Kiwi's eyes filled with tears.  
"No, you don't understand, I found out about the kid, he's okay, Modo!"  
Modo felt a jerk going through his body. What the…  
No. She was lying. She was telling him that to stop him.  
Kiwi slowly did a few steps forward and reached out to him.  
"He's okay, Modo. I've hacked into the hospital system, his name is Clark and he's okay!"  
The words slowly dawned on Modo. He slowly lowered his armcannon. What if she was telling the truth?  
"He's… okay?", he whispered.  
Now he had lowered the gun, Kiwi kneeled down in front of him and lay both hands against his cheeks.  
"Yes, Modo, he's okay. He had a nasty headwound and one hell of a concussion, but nothing that won't heal. He's already back home… He's fine."  
"He really is okay?"  
Modo had a hard time with believing that. But when he looked into Kiwi's blue eyes, he saw she wasn't lying. He only saw honesty. And shock. He suddenly realized what he almost had done just now. Holy shit…  
"I… I eh…", he stuttered, looking helpless at Kiwi, but she rubbed his cheek.  
"Ssshh, it's okay… You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I'm just glad I was on time, jesus Modo, what if I was too late?"  
Modo blushed and looked at his feet, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden.  
"You eh… Can you keep this between us?", he eventually asked.  
Kiwi hesitated for a moment. But it was the pleading look in his eye, the despair written on his whole face, that made her slowly nod her head.  
"Okay… Okay, fine, I won't tell…"  
"Won't tell us what?"  
Kiwi whirled around and saw Throttle and Vinnie standing in the door opening.  
"I eh… well… ehm…", she stuttered, but Modo lay a hand on her shoulder.  
"She saw something I didn't want her to see. A moment of weakness…", he said softly.  
Throttle rubbed his chin, studying his bro's face.  
"You okay, big fella?"  
"I eh… I guess I will be… Bro's, I'm…", but Vinnie cut him off.  
"No need for that, big guy. Welcome back."  
Modo smiled, it was still a sad smile though, but it was a smile.  
"Thanks…"

Kiwi's phone rang, breaking the silence. She grabbed it and stared at the screen.  
"Who is it, babe?", Throttle asked, feeling a pang of worry when he saw her face.  
"Unknown number…"  
She slowly brought the phone to her ear.  
"Hello?"  
" _Hey Kiwi, it's me… "  
_ Kiwi paled and her heart skipped a beat. How did he get her number?  
More important, why was he calling her? I mean, wasn't he supposed to forget the whole thing?  
"Chaz? Is that you?" She tried so hard to sound normal, but she noticed her voice was still a little shaky.  
Dammit.  
"Jesus, Chaz, how long has it been? How did you get my number?", she continued, trying to act as if she hadn't talked to him in years.  
But he let out a low chuckle and she felt a shiver running through her spine. She looked at the mice, who seemed to be frozen.  
" _You can drop the act, Kiwi. You know, I had the weirdest experience a few days back… I woke up in the morning, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember what I had done the day before. Which is weird, because usually I don't have problems with my short term memory. But when I took place behind my computer, everything became so clear all of a sudden…"  
_ The picture. Shit.  
Throttle grabbed her by the arm.  
"You deleted the picture, right?", he hissed, a slight pang of panic in his voice.  
Kiwi slowly nodded, her eyes wide open. Yeah, she did. But how…  
" _Oh, Kiwi. You really thought that I, the wizards of all wizards, would just send one copy to my computer? That I really would make it that easy for you? It's cute, really…"  
_ Kiwi cleared her throat, her hands were shaking so bad that the phone almost slipped between her fingers.  
"I eh… I don't know where you're talking about…", she said, trying to sound confident, but damn you voice.  
" _Oh, but I think you do… You see, when I saw that picture on my computer, everything came back… And you can say a lot about me, but I'm a man of my word."  
_ "What's that supposed to mean?"  
" _Listen, I'll give you one last chance. The police are on their way as we speak, accompanied with the army, to arrest your overbiting friends…."  
_ Kiwi's heart dropped and she jumped at her feet.  
"No, Chaz, you can't be serious, right? _RIGHT_?"  
" _I don't think interplanetary rats are a joke. They're dangerous and a threat to our society."  
_ "RAT? My momma didn't raise no stinking RAT!"  
Kiwi gestured to Modo to keep his mouth shut, panic on her face.  
"No, no, Chaz, you couldn't be more wrong! They're here to _protect_ us!"  
" _Spare me the bullshit, Kiwi. Listen very carefully now. When the police arrives, you walk outside with your hands in the air. You will surrender yourself. If you don't… Well, than I suppose you just gotta pray they treat traitors with respect…"  
_ "Chaz, please listen to me, if I still mean _ANYTHING_ to you, you call this whole thing off! You're wrong about this, they aren't the problem here! They are the heroes, can't you see? Why can't you see?!"  
" _Tick tock, tick tock… time is ticking, Kiwi. Make your choice."  
_ And he broke the connection.  
Kiwi slowly lowered the phone, her heart beating in her chest. She looked at the mice, who looked back in shock.  
"I can't… I can't believe he did this… Throttle, how is it even possible he remembers?"  
"The picture must have triggered something… I did the best I could, but apparently it wasn't good enough…"  
The tan furred mouse looked more defeated than ever. "I'm sorry, bro's, I let ya down…"  
"Oh, shut up. This ain't your fault, if we want someone to blame, it's prince charming", Vinnie spit out.  
"Maybe he's bluffing, ya know, how do we know he really told the authorities?", Modo mused.

" _POLICE! We've got the place surrounded, so come out with your hands in the air!"_

"There's your answer", Kiwi said toneless.  
Was this even real? But when she peeked outside, she knew it was. The whole house was surrounded by SWAT cars, army vehicles, heavily armed man.. Jesus, they got the whole package.  
Her blood suddenly started to boil.  
Chaz… God dammit, you fool. You ruined everything…  
She turned around to look at the mice. Her family.  
"So now what?"

* * *

Oooooh boy! They're discovered. So Kiwi is asking the exact right thing here…  
Now what?  
And thank the holy mothers of Mars, she got right on time to stop Modo from doing something very stupid.  
Honestly, where would they be without her?

Please review and till next time!  
Later dudes!


	50. Chapter 49

Heya!

Thanks again for the reviews, very much appreciated.  
Unfortunately, killing Chaz isn't a option anymore. It's too late.  
They're discovered.

Let's find out how the guys and Kiwi are gonna handle this… sticky situation.  
Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter forty nine**

"No way I'm just gonna walk outside with my hands in the air. No fucking way. Not without a fight!"  
Vinnie looked at his bro's with fuming eyes.  
"If they want us… well, then they just have to catch us first…"  
"For once I agree with Vinnie", Modo nodded.  
After everything they had done for this planet, this was how they repaid them? No way he was gonna walk outside like a damn sheep.  
Throttle let out his breath.  
"I think it's time for us to go back to Mars, bro's…"  
Kiwi whirled around, fear on her face.  
"What? We can't just leave, what if Limburger…", but Throttle cut her off.  
"We ain't got time to discuss this, Kiwi. We're obviously not welcome here anymore. We've got no other choice than to go back…"  
"I really like your way of thinking, fearless leader, but _HOW_?", Vinnie asked, his tail twitching and his hands in the air..  
"We've just gotta use old Lard Butt's transporter…", Throttle said slowly. "And when we do, we'll take him with us. For trial. Or, he stays behind to get caught. Because they _will_ find out about him now they know about us, that's for sure."  
"Okay… But how do we get there? They've got the whole place surrounded, bro…", Modo sighed.  
But Throttle smiled and looked at Kiwi.  
"All we need is a hostage…", and then his gaze landed on Vinnie.  
"...and a diversion…"

Kiwi was staring through the window at the people, say an entire army, that were standing behind her fence. Police. Army. SWAT. She counted alone over more than ten vehicles from this point of view. God only knew with how many they were in total. Badass angry looking guys with weapons aimed at the house. All secured behind the vehicles. A few men in suits, the ones who called the shots. It looked like one of those scenes in a action movie, when the bad guys were hiding in a building and the police couldn't attack because they had hostages. Innocent people. Maybe that's why they hadn't invaded this place already. Because she was here. Maybe they thought they were keeping her here against her will. Well, let them think that… That could only work in their advantage.  
With a sigh, she turned around. The mice were whirling through the guesthouse like tornado's, grabbing their stuff. Mostly weapons and ammo, but also clothes. They were lucky she kept her backpacks in the guesthouse. Yeah, they were. She wasn't that lucky. All her stuff was lying inside the big house. And no way she could just stroll through the garden and walk into her house, as if there wasn't an entire army surrounding her house.  
Dammit.  
She was gonna start a new live on another planet, light years away from here, with only the outfit she was wearing now and her phone, which was probably useless over there.  
Great. Just great.  
So this was it. She always had almost begged them to take her with them to Mars. When Throttle gave his permission, she was the happiest girl in the word. And now, the time was here and she suddenly started doubting. She was a human. How in the world was she gonna live on a, to her, unfamiliar planet? A planet where was war, pain and misery? She was scared, she suddenly realized. And that was new. Because she always knew she would do everything to follow them everywhere. But now…  
Vinnie saw her standing there, her eyes wide open as a scared deer that got caught in the headlights. He walked over to her and grabbed her hands.  
"You sure about this, sweetheart?"  
She looked up at him. Into his ruby red eyes. She smelled his scent.  
His low voice, filled with worry, vibrated through flesh and bones and calmed down her pounding heart.  
Gone was the doubt. Because there was no way in hell she was gonna give up the love of her life. He was her home. As long as she had him by her side, she was home. No matter where they were. Of course it was scary. She had every right to be scared. But fear wasn't the same as doubt. She wasn't scared that she was gonna make a mistake by leaving Earth, no… She was scared to start a whole new life. But who wouldn't?  
"Yeah, I am. Let's do this."

They were standing in the living room from the guest house, looking at each other. Everything faded for a moment. The sound coming from outside, the police who kept demanding them to come out, the flashes of light… It was just them for a moment.  
"Ready, boys? Ma'am?", Throttle smiled, back to his usual calm self.  
"You bet I am", Modo nodded.  
Vinnie was almost bouncing on his feet.  
"You even need to ask me that? I was _born_ ready!"  
He looked at Kiwi, his eyes twinkling.  
"Ya sure about me trashing this place?"  
But Kiwi grabbed his hand and squeezed in it.  
"It's okay, Vin. I knew this moment would come, someday. And I have no plans on coming back, so…"  
It still hurt, though. This was where she grew up. Her home. But she soon realized it wasn't. Not anymore. Her place was with the mice now.  
"Okay, Vincent, you know what to do. We'll meet ya at Limburger tower, okay?"  
Vinnie smiled his most charming smile, took a deep breath and whistled between his teeth. The bikes in the garage roared their engines and broke through the door. That alerted the people around the house and the mice could hear them all load their gun.

" _DON'T MOVE! Step outside with your hands on hour head! If not, we're authorized to fire!"  
_

As if they were gonna listen to them.  
Throttle grabbed Kiwi and pushed his laser gun against the temple of her head while wrapping one arm around her neck, pressing her against him.  
"No worries, babe, I've removed the powersource. Ready?", she heard his husky and calm voice in her ear.  
"Never been more ready", she smiled, but then, she took a deep breath and switched her face expression from calm to panicked.  
Throttle pushed her outside.  
"Put down the guns, I've got me a hostage here!", he yelled, his voice raw.  
It gave Kiwi goosebumps, actually. He was always so calm, but he had this other side of him he didn't show them that often, but when he did…  
" _NOW_!", he added, his voice filled with aggressiveness. Kiwi saw one guy in the suit say something in a walkie talkie and everybody lowered their guns.  
"That's it! Now, you'll just let me drive outta here without problems, along with my comrade. If you do, I promise you the girl will not be harmed…"

" _Let the girl go…"_

"Are you _DEAF_? If one of you only _thinks_ about touching your gun, she's a goner!"  
Kiwi saw it on their faces. Their hands were tied. They couldn't stop them.  
Welcome to America. Where the life of one single citizen is worth more than catching aliens.  
Throttle whistled between his teeth while keeping a close eye on the people outside the fence. His bike stopped next to him and he swung his leg over the seat, while forcing Kiwi to sit in front of him. The gun was still against her head. She gave the guy in the suit a pleading look, pretending to beg for help, but he lowered his gaze. Jesus, she was glad she wasn't a real hostage. What a freak show.  
Modo joined them and they revved their bikes.  
"Open the fence", Throttle ordered, loud enough for everybody to hear.  
When nobody reacted, he suddenly aimed his gun in the sky and fired. The sound was deafening and the police shrunk.  
And Kiwi froze, because hadn't he told her that he'd removed the powersource?  
"Ya think I won't kill her? Try me… Now, _open the fence_!"  
They did what he said. Of course they did. His voice. His whole appearance… it only gave away one thing; danger. Obey.  
The bikes suddenly sped forward and a scream escaped her mouth. Oops. That wasn't supposed to happen. But who cares? She was a terrified hostage after all. They flew past the police, the army, the SWAT… She saw flashes of angry, confused and surprised faces.  
" _After them! NOW!",_ Kiwi suddenly heard one man screaming. She smiled.  
Throttle had predicted that this would happen. And that's were Vinnie came in.  
"Be careful, macho mouse", she whispered.

Vinnie saw from his hiding spot that his bro's and Kiwi made it out.  
Showtime.  
He popped a wheelie and fired his jets. He landed on top of the guesthouse and looked down at the whole army that was starting to leave, ready to chase the two, or three actually, who got away. Cannons popped outta his bike and he grabbed his laser guns.  
"Hey there!"  
Everybody froze and slowly turned their heads into his direction. He waved at them with the gun still in hand and they stared at him, a little dazed. One of the guys in the front waved back, but his collegue slapped him against the back of his head and the guy quickly lowered his hand, a blush on his face.  
Vinnie smiled his most charming smile while spinning the guns around his fingers.  
"Has anyone never told ya that if ya wanna catch a mouse, you really need to have yourself a good mousetrap…?"  
One of the guys in the suits raised the megaphone, but Vinnie gave him no time to answer and opened fire. He mainly aimed at the vehicles, feet and guns.  
All hell broke loose.  
The army returned fire and Vinnie revved his bike.  
"AAAOOWW, I'm the master of disaster and don't you just hate me for it?"  
He popped a wheelie and quickly drove back to the house. The army and police followed him, crashing through the fence now it was clear only heavy firepower could help them catch the alien.  
"Catch me if ya can, suckers!"  
Vinnie was laughing almost hysterical, clearly having the time of his life. He quickly looked over his shoulder and saw that his bro's and Kiwi were gone.  
Good. Now it was time to finish this off and haul his tail over to LP.  
He pulled back his handlebars, fired his jets and flew into the air. When he was high enough, he fired two of his biggest rockets outta the back of his bike.  
"Sorry 'bout your house, doll face", he whispered. He landed outside the fence and sped away. But before the army could follow him, the huge explosion knocked them all down.  
He really was sorry for her house. Really, he was. But wow, that was one massive boom.  
"AAAOOOWWW! Always like to leave with a big _BANG_! Later fella's!", Vinnie cheered, while looking in his mirror.  
He did a good job, because nobody was able to follow him. But he knew it wasn't gonna take long before they regrouped and would start the chase. But at least he'd bought them some time. That was all they needed.  
He saw one person standing a few feet away from the house, staring at him.  
Vinnie grabbed his handlebars tightly when he recognized the face.  
Chaz…  
Oh, how tempting it was to go back and blow off that sucker's head, but even Vinnie knew that would be a stupid move and that for once, he needed to stick to the plan. So, he clenched his teeth and hit the accelerator.  
On to Limburger Tower.

Kiwi was looking at the smoke that was circling into the air after the massive explosion. The explosion that destroyed her house.  
Dammit. Damn you, Chaz. This wasn't how it suppose to happen. Not like this.  
She let out her breath and looked at Modo and Throttle, who were checking their bikes and guns.  
"You think he'll make it?", Kiwi asked. She had to ask.  
"It's Vinnie we're talking about, babe. No worries."  
They were standing in an alley close by LP, waiting for their white furred friend, bro and lover to join them.  
"Great performance back there, Throttle", she said while her eyes were still searching the streets for Vinnie.  
"Thanks. You weren't that bad yourself either", Throttle chuckled.  
"Yeah, with the whole screaming, really, it was very convincing, Kiwi ma'am", Modo added.  
Kiwi blushed, but said nothing. No need to tell them that wasn't played.  
A familiar sound filled the air and she felt a huge relief. She would recognize that sound everywhere.  
Vinnie's bike.  
He came to a halt with shrieking tires, pulling off his helmet and a big grin on his face.  
"Voila. And that's how you create a diversion, van Wham style. Please, please, no thanks, no gifts, it's just what heroes do!"  
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but she smiled too.  
"Good job, Vincent", Throttle nodded at his younger bro.  
Even if he would brag about it all day, Throttle would never let down a opportunity to give his bro's a compliment. And even if Vinnie's head was almost exploding now, he deserved to know he did a good job. Because he really did.  
The sound of sirens in the distance made him jump on his bike and put on his helmet.  
"Okay, bro's and ma'am. We don't have much time. Let's ROCK…"  
"...and RIDE!"

They burst inside Limburger's office and the big fish jumped at his feet by this sudden act of violence.  
"Biker Mice! To what do I owe this unpleasant surprise…?"  
Throttle stopped his bike right in front of him.  
"We need to borrow your transporter, cheeze face."  
Limburger narrowed his eyes, his hands on the desk and he leaned forward.  
"I'm so sorry to tell you I'm afraid that's not possible… You see, it's my transporter… And I don't want to infest it with mice…"  
Vinnie aimed his gun at the fish.  
"Afraid you don't have a choice, lever lips. Because your sorry ass is on the line too."  
That got Limburger's interest. He suddenly saw the mice were packed with backpacks and that that annoying human girl was sitting behind the white furred mouse.  
"Are my eyes deceiving me or are you vermin going somewhere? For good?"  
"That's right, butterball. We're going back to Mars and you're coming with us", Modo said, his eye glowing red.  
"I'm really having a deja vu here, haven't we been here before?", Limburger asked.  
"Yeah, but this time it's serious. Someone rat us out, and it will only be a matter of time before they find about you. So, that leaves you with two options; you'll either come back with us to Mars for trial or you can stay here and find out what humans do with interplanetary scum like yourself…", Throttle explained.  
The sirens were already coming closer. They were running outta time.  
Limburger was staring at them, clearly loss at words.  
"You've brought them here?", he finally asked, disbelief in his voice.  
"Well, not by choice. They doesn't seem to like it when their suspects blow up things and run away", Vinnie said dryly, but loaded his gun with a click.  
"It's over, Limburger. So, what's it's gonna be?"  
Limburger's hand slowly reached for the button for help, but he suddenly stopped halfway. He somehow seemed to realize that staying on Earth was no longer a option.

" _We know you're in there! We'll give you one minute to come out with your hands in on your head, or we'll storm the building. Give it up, you've got no place to go!"_

"They're here…", Kiwi whispered.  
Limburger swallowed and pushed a button. The mice tensed but then...  
"My dear doctor Karbunkle, activate the transporter, now would you please?"  
"Of course, my slippery cheesiness. And where is the journey going this time?"  
Limburger looked at the mice, defeat visible in his eyes.  
"Mars…"  
Karbunkle protested with surprise, but Limburger shut down the communicator and raised his hands.  
"Alright, you win, you miserable rodents…"  
Modo quickly grabbed some tyraps and bound the big cheese his hands together. He had to admit, he was a little surprised the fish gave up so easily. But no time to think. He grabbed him and mounted his bike again.  
"Let's ride!"

They drove down to Karbunkle's lab, Vinnie trying really hard not to think about the last time he was here. When they came in, Karbunkle was standing by the controls of the transporter, but when he saw the mice were holding his boss, he immediately grabbed a gun. But Throttle shot it out his hands before he could use it and grabbed the doctor.  
"I want you to send us to Mars and after that, destroy the transporter. No way we're gonna leave a open door to Mars behind…"  
Karbunkle stared at him, not knowing what the hell was going on. Suddenly, Greasepit came running inside.  
"M-m-mister Limboiger, yous whole place is surrounded by cops!"  
Limburger rolled his eyes.  
"I know, I know… you stupid moronic!"  
"Ohws… then why don't yous do somethings?", Greasepit asked surprised, scratching his head.  
"My dear boy...Does it look like I'm here for a round of mouse hugging?!"  
A loud explosion made the building rock, voices were heard downstairs…  
"Enough with the chit chat, we're leaving, NOW!", Throttle ordered and Modo threw Limburger into the transporter. He parked his bike next to the fish, blocking his way out. The rest joined him, but Karbunkle wasn't gonna give up that easily. He quickly pushed a button and dragged Greasepit with him, into the transporter.  
"Hey, what do ya think…", Vinnie started, but the door of the lab flew open and a whole team of SWAT came inside.  
"Hey you, STOP!", one of them yelled, but they were too late.

A flash of light.  
A weird buzzing sound.  
Kiwi opened her eyes, her arms still tightly wrapped around Vinnie.  
Red sand.  
The sun burning on her skin.  
Sizzling heat.  
Mars.  
They made it.  
"Welcome home, babe", Vinnie snickered.  
Kiwi swallowed and cleared her throat.  
"I eh… thanks…"  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder, his tail wrapped lovingly around her waist.  
"You'll get used to it, sweetheart. It's gonna be okay, I promise…"  
Tears jumped into her eyes. She wasn't regretting her decision to come with them, but leaving Earth was still hard.  
"Hey, where do ya think you're going?", she suddenly heard Modo rumbling and they both looked up.  
They still had Limburger, but Karbunkle and Greasepit were running away from them.  
"Come back here, you mistrials! Come back here, NOW!", Limburger yelled furious.  
Vinnie revved his bike, but Throttle stopped him.  
"Let them go, they've got no friends on this planet, they'll never make it. We've got the big cheese, that's the most important."  
"But Throttle, they…", Vinnie started, but Throttle shook his head.  
"Let them go, Vincent. We need to get to the base, we're way too vulnerable out here in the open."  
"Since when do we care about that?", Vinnie asked, a little surprised.  
But Throttle gave him a warning look.  
"Since it's been a few years we've been here, Vincent. And from what Carbine told me, things are changed around here. More enemies. More ambushes. First, we need to know what we're up against. First, we've gotta get Kiwi to safety. Let's ride."  
And the tan furred mouse drove away, followed by Modo who dragged Limburger with him.  
Vinnie sighed in defeat, looked one more time in the distance to see Karbunkle and Greasepit running away, and followed his bro's.  
"I still think this ain't a good idea, to let them run off like that…", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but Throttle ignored him.  
Vinnie snorted. Story of his life. Why should he even bother to say something that actually made sense? They never listened.

Luckily, Karbunkle had transported them closeby the base. Kiwi was looking around her with awe while they were driving through the desert. Since she'd been a prisoner when she was here for the first time, she hadn't really had the time to take a good look around her. But now she had and wow… It was mind blown. Mars wasn't flat. Even if it was desert, there were also mountains made of red rocks, sand dunes… It was beautiful. It reminded Kiwi of her trip to the Grand Canyon, years ago. But this wasn't California. This wasn't Earth. No...  
This was a whole other planet. And she was scared. Not because she didn't wanna be here, no, because she had no idea how to survive here.  
Showers. Cold drinks. Food.  
Things she took for granted on Earth. But here…  
"We're here, sweetheart."  
Vinnie voice broke her outta her thoughts and she looked over his shoulder. They approached a huge gate and Kiwi's eyes grew big.  
"This is the base? But what about the last time…"  
"That wasn't our homebase. This is. When the army joined the Freedom Fighters, they made their locations available for all of us. They have multiple locations, but this is the biggest one. So, babe… welcome to the Freedom Fighters Headquarters, also known as Vault Brimstone", Throttle smiled.  
"Vault Brimstone?", Kiwi asked, while looking at the huge walls that were surrounding the base. The walls were made of solid, red rocks. On the top, there were guards walking, heavily armed.  
"Yeah, Brimstone is a city nearby, well, it _was_ a city…before the Plutarkians completely wiped it off the map. But this… this is the safest place in the area… It's like a vault, actually…". Throttle explained.  
"Yeah, because the enemy can't come in, and if they do… well, they can't get out…", Vinnie chuckled.  
They stopped their bikes at the gate and two of the four guards walked over to them.  
"ID please", one big mouse with a black fur said, a little bored. But then he saw Limburger and he immediately grabbed his gun.  
"What's the meaning of this?!", he yelled and the other three guards also aimed their gun.  
Throttle pulled off his helmet.  
"Easy, soldiers. I have a message for General Carbine."  
The black furred guard gave him a suspicious look, clearly he had no idea who Throttle was.  
"Oh really? And what's that?"  
"Tell her The Biker Mice are back. And that we come with gifts."

"Throttle! I can't believe my own eyes!", Carbine called out when she walked through the gate.  
She ran towards him and jumped in his arms. Throttle wrapped his arms around her, goosebumps all over his body.  
He was home. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying this moment. This moment, which he'd thought would never come.  
Carbine looked up at him, her eyes twinkling.  
"I still can't believe this… You're back?", she asked, her voice a little shaky.  
Throttle touched her cheek, a big grin on his face.  
"Yeah, I am. And this time, I ain't going anywhere…"  
Tears jumped into her eyes, but she suddenly realized she was standing in front of four of her soldiers and she quickly wiped off her face and made herself loose.  
"Welcome back, guys", she said and looked at Modo and Vinnie too. Now just wait a minute…  
"Kiwi?"  
Kiwi's head popped up from behind Vinnie, a faint blush on her cheeks.  
"Hi…"  
Carbine shared a look with Throttle.  
"She's one of us now, Carbine. We couldn't leave her behind. Not after everything we've been through. Besides, if we hadn't take her with us, she was now probably sitting in jail…"  
Carbine gave him a confused look.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Really, I _really_ hate to cut this mushy reunion, but can't we continue this talk while we're inside?", Vinnie blended into the conversation.  
"Why, bro? Scared to be out here in the open?", Modo teased him.  
"Who? Moi? Are you kidding me? I'm just hungry, that's all", Vinnie answered nonchalant.  
"What's new?", Throttle mumbled, but he looked at Carbine, who nodded.  
"I've gotta admit, old Lard Butt here is getting a little heavy after dragging his sorry ass from Earth to all the way down here", Modo smiled, looking at Limburger, who glared back.  
"Soldiers, grab this Plutarkian scum and throw him into prison, no food, no water", Carbine ordered and Modo handed the angry fish over to one of the guards.  
"Mark my words, you miserable rodents, I'll have you broiled for this! Mark my words!", Limburger yelled when he got dragged away.  
Modo patted his hands while shaking his head.  
"He never learns, now does he? Even now… I almost feel sorry for the guy", he chuckled.  
"Ah well, we can't be all blessed with brains like mine", Vinnie snickered.  
"Okay, okay, enough. Let's get you inside", Carbine intervened and they followed her through the gate on the bikes.  
Kiwi was still sitting behind Vinnie, holding him tightly. She looked behind her and saw the big gate closing again. No turning back now…

They crossed a large courtyard, straight towards a huge building that was cut out of a mountain. It was impressive, really. It even had balconies, windows, small towers. And it was huge. The big walls surrounded the whole thing and everywhere she looked, she saw guards. All mice. It was gonna take some time to get used to the fact that _she_ was the alien now. And she could only hope they would accept her. But she somehow had the nagging feeling that was gonna be hard. Very hard.  
Carbine showed them the big garage where they could park their bikes. Well, garage… More like a huge cave with doors.  
When Vinnie stepped off his bike and pulled off his helmet, he suddenly noticed Kiwi hadn't moved. He turned around and looked at her, feeling a pang of worry when he saw the fear on her face.  
"Sweetheart…", and he lay his hand on her cheek. "You okay?"  
Kiwi lay her hand over his, her eyes closed for a moment.  
"Yeah… It's just… I dunno, I'm… I'm scared, Vin...", she whispered.  
"I know… But you've got me."  
He said it like a statement, as if that was the best thing that possible could ever happen to her.  
Ugh, his arrogance…  
But he was right, though. He _was_ the best thing that ever happened to her.  
He gently helped her off his bike and threw her backpack over his shoulder before he grabbed her hand.  
"You can do this, sweetheart. You're one of us now."  
His fingers entwined with hers and Kiwi took a deep breath.  
"Okay. Okay, I've got this…"

Carbine led them inside the base and cool air filled Kiwi's nose. It was a welcome feeling after the burning, almost mercyless heat that was coming from the sun. It felt different than on Earth, though. Dryer.  
Vinnie was still holding her hand while they walked through the corridors. Dammit, this place was like a maze, alright. Everyone they passed, stopped to look at them. Well, to look at her, to be specific. But she soon noticed the three mice also took a lot of attention. They probably were some kinda legends around here. Because everybody looked at them with respect written on their face. Some of them even saluted when they passed. But nobody said something. And most of them stayed behind with a shocked look on their face after seeing Kiwi.  
The weird, hairless creature. Small. Fragile.  
The place felt as if she was walking in a ancient castle on Earth. Since the whole building was cut outta the mountain, the walls, the ceiling, the floor… everything was made of that beautiful red stone. Small light were attached to the walls, so small, Kiwi was surprised they gave so much light. But then again, she was on Mars now. Technologie was different here.  
After walking through what Kiwi thought were a thousand hallways, Carbine stopped at a door and typed in a code. The door slid open and they entered a room that was about the same size as Kiwi's living room. She saw a wall filled with computer screens at her left, a desk with a chair underneath it. A huge table was standing in the middle of the room and in the right corner, a king size bed. But the furniture wasn't looking quite the same as on Earth. It all was made of stone. But the bed did look comfy. And at least they had blankets. At the other side of the room, Kiwi could see two doors that led to a balcony.  
This must be Carbine's room.  
"Sit down, guys. After we talk, I'll show you your rooms", she said towards Vinnie and Modo.  
"What about Throttle?", Vinnie asked innocent, wiggling his eyebrows.  
Carbine rolled her eyes.  
"I'll just pretend you didn't ask that. Now, sit down."  
Vinnie dropped the backpack on the ground and grabbed a chair, gesturing to Kiwi to do the same. Throttle and Modo also dumped their bags and took place.  
Carbine leaned on the table and looked at Throttle.  
"So, what brought you here? With Limburger? And a human?"  
Kiwi wrinkled her nose a little by hearing the tone in her voice.  
Come on, was she still gonna give her a hard time, after what happened on Earth? After taking care of Throttle and his bro's?  
Man…  
She felt Vinnie tense too, but she quicky lay a hand on his leg. His gaze lowered and stared at her hand, that was actually a little too close to his… well, ya know… He smiled to himself. That's Kiwi for ya…  
"Limburger's transporter brought us here", he stated the obvious and he looked up at Carbine, a challenging look on his face. "And the _human_ is called Kiwi, remember?"  
But Throttle intervened.  
"Vincent, shut up. I'm not in the mood for your games right now", and he focussed on Carbine.  
"Someone found out about us. A human. He told the government…"  
"And they actually believed him?", Carbine asked with a surprised look on her face.  
Throttle shrugged, a little uncomfortable.  
"Yeah well… He had evidence.. a picture of us…" and he told her the whole story.  
How Chaz had found out about them. How he had tried to erase his memory. How that failed. How they managed to escape just in time, taking Limburger with them.  
Carbine was listening with a thoughtful frown on her face. When Throttle was done, she let out her breath and looked at Kiwi.  
"You humans really don't know anything about loyalty, now do ya?"  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes.  
"Not everyone, no… But I ain't like them… You must know that by now…"  
"I know. And you're welcome to stay. As long as you… well, keep your nose outta our business, that is…"  
"So, what I'm supposed to do all day? I came here to help. I don't like it to just sit around and do nothing!", Kiwi protested, but again, Throttle intervened.  
"Carbine, I already told ya, she's one of us, she…", but Carbine interrupted him.  
"Oh really? Has she taken the oath?"  
Kiwi stared at Carbine. Oath? What oath was she talking about?

But before anybody could say something, they suddenly heard a lot of noise coming from the other side of the door. They all turned their heads to see the door open and a very annoyed soldier with a Freedom Fighter outfit came into view.  
"He insisted to get inside, I tried…", but he suddenly got pushed away.  
"Uncle Modo!"  
A sand coloured blur flew towards Modo, who quickly caught him.  
"Rimfire! Oh boy, it's so good to see ya!", he called out and he pulled his nephew into a tight hug.  
He suddenly remembered what he almost had done, back on Earth and he was suddenly glad Kiwi was there in time to stop him. Otherwise his nephew would be all alone right now. What was he thinking? But that was then. Now, all that mattered was that he was finally holding his nephew in his arms again.  
Carbine shook her head, but waved at the soldier who was still standing at the door.  
"It's okay, he can stay."  
Rimfire made himself loose from Modo.  
"Wait, I've brought some company!"  
Everybody looked back at the door again, to see the soldier got pushed away again, and…  
"Still riding free, biker bumps?!"  
Everybody, except for Rimfire and Kiwi, breathed in sharply when they heard that voice.  
A brown furred male mouse entered the room. He had long hair between his ears, tied in a low ponytail, a few bangs hanging loose around his face. He was about Vinnie's size, but way older, Kiwi noticed. He was wearing a brown, baggy pants with a soft yellow shirt on top of it. Over the shirt, a sleeveless green military jacket. A glitter caught Kiwi's eye and she saw a medal pinned on the right pocket of the jacket. His brown eyes were clear, and he had this arrogant smile on his face that looked somehow familiar…  
"I can't believe it!", Vinnie called out, jumping at his feet.  
"Stoker?", Throttle managed to say.  
Ah. So this was the famous Stoker Vinnie had told her about. Their mentor.  
"As my old gray furred momma would say; oh momma!", Modo rumbled while walking towards the older mouse, grabbing him a tight hug.  
Stoker smiled and raised his hands.  
"Hey, Modo my mouse", and he hit Modo on both of his ears. "Long time no see!"  
Modo let him go because of the mean hit, but still a smile on his face.  
Carbine rolled her eyes and stepped back, a almost bored look on her face.  
Kiwi was still staring at the older mouse. She suddenly saw his tail and her mouth fell open. It wasn't made of flesh, muscle, bone and fur, no… it was… metal? Hmmm…  
"Throttle! Still looking good, I see", Stoker smiled and slammed the tan furred mouse on his back.  
"Oempf! See you still got the old Stoke moves", Throttle coughed, adjusting his glasses.  
"Hey punk!", Stoker called out while pointing at Vinnie.  
"What?", Vinnie asked, a little annoyed but Stoker already launched himself at him and Vinnie landed on his back with the older mouse on top of him.  
Vinnie clenched his fists, but Stoker held them.  
"No fair! Oh man, that was a sucker punch!", Vinnie protested loudly, still trying to get his hands loose.  
"Just old headbutt's sneak attack number seven", Stoker laughed.  
"Oh yeah?", and Vinnie yanked his hands free and grabbed Stoker by his neck. "Well, how's about new head lock back lift thirteen?" and he raised his feet, set them on Stokers belly and pushed the brown furred mouse away. Stoker landed closeby Modo and Throttle, who were looking down at their mentor with a big smile on their face. Stoker laughed and tackled them.  
"Leg trip attack forty!"  
And that was the start of a huge wrestling session.  
Kiwi was staring at all this. Must be their way to say hi…  
Modo landed close by her feet and she kneeled down.  
"This is Stoker?", she asked him, still watching how the guys were wrestling.  
"Yep. The one and only. We helped him to start the Freedom Fighters. Taught us everything we know about biking…"  
"...fighting…", Throttle said while punching Stoker in the face.  
"... and ladies…", Vinnie chuckled.  
"Never mind! Honestly…", Kiwi quickly said.  
"On Mars, when they're talking baddest motojammer, they're talking Stoker."  
"Just Mars? Try the whole galaxy", Stoker smiled cocky while standing up.  
Kiwi pursed her lips in amusement. It was clear this guy was just as arrogant as one of his pupils…  
It was as if Stoker only just now saw the human girl standing and his eyes grew big for a moment.  
"Well, hello there beautiful" and he walked towards her.  
Kiwi felt her cheeks burn when he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.  
"Name's Stoker, but guess you already knew that. And who are you?"  
"Ehm, Kiwi…", she stuttered.  
"Well, Ehm Kiwi, welcome to Mars. What brings a beautiful human girl as yourself all the way out here?"  
Suddenly, a white tail snaked around her right leg and Vinnie popped up next to her.  
"She's here with me…", he said, a slight threatening tone in his voice.  
Stoker raised his eyebrows, but did a step back. It was clear the white furred mouse was trying to tell him something.  
Well, message received. Loud and clear. Vinnie's girl. No touching. His lips curled into a smile.  
"My my… Have to admit, I'm kinda surprised you found such a beautiful woman and also managed to keep her..."  
"Now that's just harsh…", Vinnie growled back. "You're just jealous, coach."  
"Okay, okay, enough with the masochism! I'm almost suffocating in testosterone here!", Carbine interfered with the conversation to avoid another wrestling session would start.  
She patted Rimfire on the back.  
"I can see your mission is accomplished. Well done, Rimfire. Really."  
The young boy put out his chest with proud by hearing these words. Carbine didn't gave compliments that easily, so when she did, he knew she really meant it.  
They all took place again and Throttle quickly told Rimfire and Stoker how they ended up here.  
Kiwi took a deep breath.  
"You were saying something about a oath, before these two burst in…", she started and pointed at Rimfire and Stoker, who gave her a innocent look back.  
"...what oath are you talking about?"  
Carbine looked at Throttle.  
"You haven't told her?", she asked, slightly surprised.  
"Told me what?", Kiwi demanded. It was obvious she still had to prove herself towards the General.  
Well, it made her only more determined to do so. To blow her away. It didn't occur to her that maybe was exactly what Carbine hoped to accomplish.  
"Every Freedom Fighter takes an oath. To make sure it's clear that Mars is on top of the priority list. That means, you'll have to do everything within your power to protect this planet. Even if that means it will cost you your life…"  
Kiwi's stomach dropped.  
This whole 'joining the team' seemed to be a little more difficult than she had thought…

* * *

Soooo, the mice are back on Mars!  
How will Kiwi adjust there?  
Will she be accepted as a Freedom Fighter?  
And what about that oath?  
I think the main question is here; is she gonna be strong enough to get through all this?  
Even if this is what she'd wanted, it's not that easy to just start over on a whole other planet.

And what about the big cheese? Is this really gonna be the end of Lawrence Limburger?

So many questions...  
So few answers...  
:)

Feel free to leave a review, always good to know what you guys are thinking.  
Especially after such a plot twist. But hey, what can I say? I like challenges.

Later guys!


	51. Chapter 50

Ola you guys!

So, same old, same old, but thank you so much for the reviews. Really appreciate it. Can't express in words how much it means to me. Sounds a little dramatic maybe, but what seems a small thing is for me the right motivation to continue my writing.

Talk about motivation. I had this huge ass writer's block, really, it was awful. Everytime that I sat down behind my laptop, nothing happened. I had so much ideas in my head, knowing perfectly well how to continue the story, but I just couldn't get it translated into words.  
But, think I got it back on track now.

So, next chapter. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter fifty**

"No sweat, sweetheart", Vinnie started when he saw the shocked look on her face. "It's just a formality, nothing major."  
"Comes from the guy who _lives_ to put his life into danger because he needs the rush", Carbine snorted. "It's more than just a formality, it's a life bonding commitment to Mars."  
Kiwi's heart was pounding in her chest and she fiddled with her fingers, eyes lowered. Was she really ready to commit her life to a unfamiliar planet? She wasn't sure.  
"Relax, babe. Take your time to think about it. It's not that you need to make a decision right now", Throttle said soothing, feeling a bit worried about her. Even if she'd practically begged them to take her with them, it seemed she was having a rough time with it.  
Kiwi nodded, her gaze still on her fiddling fingers. Tears were burning behind her eyes, but she wasn't gonna break down in front of Carbine. No way. Come to think of it, why was the General acting so hostile anyway? She thought they'd started over again back on Earth. And why was she herself suddenly so scared? This is what she wanted, right? All along. So why was she sitting here, close to a nervous breakdown when she finally got what she desired for all this time?  
Determination suddenly flooded through her veins and she looked up, her blue eyes fuming.  
"Hadn't we agreed that you would give me a chance?", she asked, her voice low.  
Carbine looked up, a surprised look on her face. But before she could say something, Kiwi continued.  
"That day, when you came to Earth, ya know, that day you hit me? Well, I remember it as if it was yesterday. I gave you a second chance. You took it. You welcomed me to the team. You told me you were gonna give a me a chance and I promised ya that I wouldn't let ya down. So please... please explain to me why you're acting so bitchy again all of a sudden?"  
Silence dawned on them. Carbine blinked a few times, Vinnie had this small smile around his lips, giving him a very smugly expression, Throttle and Modo both sighed at the same time, Rimfire was staring at his feet and Stoker was studying the human girl with interest. Then, he looked at Carbine.  
"You hit her?", he asked, slightly amused.  
At least Carbine did have the decency to blush.  
"It was a accident!", she blurted out and then turned her attention back on Kiwi. "You're right. I did gave you a chance. But I sometimes doubt if you really know what it means to be a Freedom Fighter. This isn't a game. This is our planet we're talking about… Our home."  
"Well, it's my home now too", Kiwi snapped at her. "I'll take that fucking oath. I'll do everything that's necessary so I can prove you wrong. So I can prove I'm way more than just a fragile human."  
Stoker chuckled and looked at Vinnie.  
" _Feisty_ ", he mouthed to the white furred mouse, his brown eyes twinkling.  
Vinnie snickered, his eyes glittering with pride.  
Carbine raised her hands in defeat.  
"Fine. Prove it. Then we'll talk further."  
Kiwi crossed her arms before her chest.  
"Fine."  
Stoker was looking at the two girls with a slightly amused look on his face. They were evenly matched, that was for sure.  
Good. There weren't that many who dared to stand up against Carbine. This was a good thing.  
There was a silence, which was slightly uncomfortable. So, Vinnie broke it. No surprise there.  
"Can we go eat now?"

Kiwi was staring at the weird substantial on her plate.  
They were sitting in the Main Hall, a big room in the middle of the base. It had enough tables and chairs to seat a whole army, but then again, this used to be a army base. She was still surprised by the ambiance in this building, it was quite cosy actually. Not the first thing that came into mind if you thought about a military base. The red rocks almost gave it a uterine atmosphere, how weird that may sound. With over more than a hundred lights hanging on the ceiling, it somehow reminded her about Hogwarts from Harry Potter.  
But at least Harry Potter had food that was still recognizable as food. This… well… it came closest to mashed potatoes, but instead of the familiar white colour, it was black. And it had… pieces in it…  
She glanced at Vinnie, who was sitting next to her, from the corner of her eye and saw him eating the weird foot as if he hadn't ate in years. That he hadn't consumed the plate in the process was, to say at least, a miracle to her.  
Well, here goes nothing.  
No guts, no glory.  
And she took a bite. With her eyes closed, she started chewing. Hmmm.. It tasted like… dirt? But it wasn't that bad actually. When she opened her eyes, she saw the guys looking at her with a amused look on their faces.  
"So? What do ya think, babe?", Vinnie asked, almost drooling while staring at her plate.  
He probably hoped she wasn't gonna eat it. Since food was scarce, the whole base was on ration. That means, a portion per person. Or mouse. Whatever. Details.  
"It's ehm… well… it's… it's special. What is it?"  
"A combination of plants that only needs sunlight to grow. Since that's the one thing Mars has in abundance, it's kinda the only thing left that's edible", Throttle answered. "I know it's not what you're used to, but…", but Kiwi interrupted him. The last thing she wanted was to look like a spoiled brat.  
"It's okay, really, it is."

Vinnie leaned back, clearly disappointed, when a female mouse suddenly popped up next to him.  
"Hey, Vinnie! I eh… I see you're back!", she stuttered, a blush on her face.  
Wauw. Captain Obvious has entered the building. I repeat; Captain Obvious has entered the building.  
Kiwi slowly sat upright and studied the, clearly nervous, female mouse. Her fur had the colour of dirt, almost black. Long, dark gray hair waved over her shoulders and her slender body was covered in a nurse uniform. But not like they had on Earth, no, this was close to the outfit every Freedom Fighter was wearing, but without the soldier touches, like guns, for example. The badge with a yellow cross pinned on the soft yellow shirt gave away the girls position with the Fighters. Her dark green eyes were locked on Vinnie, desire clearly written on her face.  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes. She'd already noticed that, from what she had seen so far, almost 80% on this base was male. But the few females she'd seen were all mesmerized by Vinnie, she could tell. Guess it was no lie when he told her he had a reputation here on Mars.  
Vinnie looked up at her, at first a little confused, which gave him a somehow sheepish expression.  
But then, his lips curled into a arrogant grin, his fur bristled a little, like a puffer fish who made himself bigger to intimidate his enemy. In Vinnie's case; to impress the ladies. He casually flexed his muscles and the tip of his tail started to twitch, almost lazily.  
Kiwi saw the transformation happen right in front of her eyes, as if it was some automatic reflex without the white furred mouse knowing. It probably was, though. She also noticed the female mouse almost slithered away on her own drool. Well, sorta speak, of course.  
Ugh...  
"Yeah, apparently I am."  
At least he didn't use his low voice.  
The girl was fiddling with her fingers, obviously not at ease.  
"Well eh… I just… I eh… I just wanted to say… w-w-welcome back!"  
"Thanks, babe."  
"Maybe eh… maybe you wanna… you know, ehm… go get a drink sometime? You know, ehm… to catch up?"  
Kiwi rolled her eyes and looked at Throttle and Modo, who both gave her a sympathetic smile back.  
Vinnie folded his hands behind the back of his head and winked at the girl.  
"Who knows, pretty lady, who knows…"  
"Okay.. Well, ehm… I ehm… I'll let you eat now… bye!" and the girl quickly turned around and almost ran away.  
Well… that was awkward...  
Vinnie watched her go and then leaned forward, his expression switching from arrogant to confused while looking at his bro's.  
"Who the _hell_ is she?", he hissed, clearly at loss here.  
Throttle rubbed his chin, a small smile around his lips.  
"I eh… I think… ehm… nope. No idea."  
Modo shrugged.  
"Don't look at me, bro, I ain't keeping no list with who you've shared your bed with…", but he trailed off, as if he'd forgotten about Kiwi and he gave her a apologetic smile.  
The human girl shook her head, letting him know it was okay. But it wasn't. Coming here was already hard enough. And now, her macho mouse was being hunted by estrogen.  
Great. Just great.

Vinnie leaned back, clearly digging in his memories to try to remember who the girl was.  
Kiwi was looking at him, but he was zoomed out. Could you believe this guy?  
It wasn't that she didn't trust him. But the least he could've done was tell the girl there was no chance in hell they were gonna get a drink and _catch up_ , because he was taken now.  
Because he'd met the love of his life, who even came with him to a unfamiliar planet, leaving her own planet behind, because she couldn't live without him anymore. He could've told her they even switched earrings, because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.  
Or, he simply could've told her that he loved someone else. But of course, he didn't. Because he just loves the attention. Because he thinks loving one girl isn't cool, macho and bad for his reputation or whatever reason he had to react the way he did just now.  
Deep down, Kiwi knew she wasn't being fair to get all riled up about this. She knew how he was and she knew were she signed up for. And she knew he would never, ever betray her. But she was on edge, alright. Timing couldn't have been worse.  
And she suddenly felt lonely like never before.  
She abruptly jumped at her feet, tears burning behind her eyes.  
"I'm gonna go to my room", and she left the Main Hall before anyone could say something to stop her or worse; to ask her if she was okay.  
Because she wasn't. She was everything but okay.  
Vinnie watched her leave, his eyes wide in surprise.  
"Something I've said?"  
Throttle and Modo buried their face in their hands with a sigh. Sometimes… Some days…

Kiwi had to admit, it was a miracle she found back her room without getting lost. The base was big enough to walk around for hours without reaching your destination. But it was as if her brains were guiding her back, because she desperately needed to be alone.

She typed in the code and her door opened. Without looking back, she almost ran inside and dropped down on the bed, the door sliding close behind her. She'd learned the mice used sun panels for electricity, so everything on the base was electrically controlled. Smart.  
She buried her face in the soft blanket, made of some kind of fur, and there they were. The tears. But she didn't try to stop them. She just let it happen. She grabbed her pillow (yeah, they also had pillows here on Mars, thank god) and hugged it while her body shook with crying.  
God, what a mess. She still wasn't regretting her decision to follow the guys to Mars, but it was now clear to her she'd underestimated the whole thing. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, actually. Perhaps that she would be welcomed with open arms by the whole mice population. That she immediately would fit in. That she would make friends. That she would be useful. That the past from the guys was the past, and nothing more. But it all turned out to be different. Everybody stared at her as if she was a monster, Carbine was still giving her a hard time, Vinnie still had his reputation…  
Gosh. She felt homesick. She suddenly yearned back to the time her parents were still alive. But they weren't. The past was the past. But dammit…

After crying for almost half a hour, feeling incredibly sorry for herself, she slowly calmed down a little. She let go off the pillow, that was now wet from her tears and rolled on her back. While wiping off her face, she stared to the ceiling. It wasn't smooth like she was used to at home. Because the building was cut out of a mountain, the ceiling was high and uneven. It was beautiful. Actually, her whole room was beautiful. It had the same ambience as the Main Hall, although it wasn't big. There was only room for a big bed, a closet and a small room with a toilet. Lemme rephrase that; a hole in the ground. But it was good enough. Two doors led to a round balcony, a thing Kiwi was very pleased about when she saw her room for the first time. At least she could get some air if she needed it, without showing her face.  
The guys had got back their old room, a room they shared with the three of them ever since they were stationed at this base.  
No girls allowed.  
So Kiwi had her own room. Honestly… talk about being old fashioned. But then again, this was war. Soldiers couldn't be distracted all the time.  
A soft knock on the door broke her outta her thoughts.  
"Come in", she rasped with a hoarse voice, too tired to stand up.  
The door slowly opened and a very uncomfortable looking white furred mouse came into view.  
The door closed behind him and lingered for a while, but when he saw Kiwi's bloodshot eyes, he almost flew towards her and scooped her in his arms.  
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, please, don't cry, I hate it when you cry because of something I did…", he whispered in her hair, holding her tightly.  
Kiwi sniffed up his scent and buried her face into his soft fur while wrapping her arms around his strong body. And before she knew it, she was crying again. God dammit.  
Vinnie stroked her back, feeling her pain and sadness and it broke his heart.  
Fucking hell, he could be so stupid sometimes. When that girl suddenly popped up next to him, his body had just taken over and he did what he always did; being charming as fuck. He hadn't even thought about what that could do to Kiwi, but honestly, it was something he hardly controlled.  
But that didn't made it okay. He knew it wasn't okay.  
"I'm sorry, babe, it's just a force of habit, I… I eh… that doesn't make it any better, I guess…", he trailed off, not knowing what to say.  
That didn't happen that often. Well, only when it came to opening up.  
Emotions. Feelings. Being vulnerable. Ugh.  
Kiwi held his fur tightly, crying the eyes outta her head. She hardly heard what he was saying to her, she was just so happy he was here. That she could hold him.  
Home…  
Home wasn't that far away, after all.  
"Kiwi, please, talk to me, I…", Vinnie stuttered, almost feeling panicked because he had no idea what to do.  
"I'm the alien now, everybody hates me, Carbine is never gonna let me help, you'll soon be buried by other woman from your own kind, I miss my parents, I miss my life, I... ", Kiwi sobbed a little childish, feeling like a whining kid. But she couldn't stop herself. It just happened. She let it happen. No need to hold anything back. It was just her and her macho mouse.  
Vinnie smiled, he just couldn't help it. His poor little human girl.  
She looked up at him, her blue eyes watery and filled with self pity.  
"Are you smiling?"  
Vinnie tried to keep his face in check, but he failed and he gave her his most charming smile.  
"Sorry, sweetheart, I really _do_ feel sorry for ya, I know it's hard, but hearing you sulk like that, it's just… cute."  
Kiwi stared at him for a moment, but then a small smile curled her lips. He was right. She was acting downright childish.  
You make your own happiness, right? She just had to fight for it. But what's new?  
"I guess you're right… Sorry."  
"No sorry, no sorry. It's okay, doll. Everything's gonna be okay. And don't worry about me getting buried under woman, love your choice of words by the way hehe... but you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You know that, right?"  
Kiwi nodded, a warm feeling crept over her. He was here. With her.  
Sorry girls. But this macho mouse is taken. Forever.  
"But hey! You know what's the good thing about fights?", he suddenly asked, his eyes twinkling.  
"No, but I've got me a feeling you're about to tell me."  
He pushed her down and crawled on top of her.  
"The 'make up sex' after…"  
"But we didn't actually had a fight, right?"  
"Some minor detail…", he whispered while kissing her neck.  
Kiwi smiled and closed her eyes. I mean, who could fight logic like that?

It was late and the Main Hall was almost deserted, except for Throttle, Stoker and Modo.  
"I just knew the Fighters were gonna bust me out one day, so I just did what the stinkfishes asked me to do. Ya know, to keep my sorry ass safe. It was a nasty place, not possible to escape on your own. But it was 'bout time someone decided to visit me. I couldn't be more surprised it was Rimfire. The kid's growing up fast, Modo my mouse. He's a good Fighter", Stoker told the gray furred mouse, who was practically exploding of pride. That was Rimfire for ya.  
"He's a good kid", Throttle agreed.  
Stoker nodded, leaning back and crossing his feet by the ankles.  
"So, what about you guys? What happened that you crash landed on a whole other planet? Did you let the punk navigate the ship, or what?"  
Throttle chuckled. If one thing became clear in the years they knew each other, is that you didn't want Vinnie to take the lead. Things always ended up messy.  
"We went to steal some spaceships, just like ya told us to do. But they caught us in the act and we needed to rock and ab live. So, we decided to take a little detour; through space. The plan was to fly around Mars to lose them. We thought for a moment it worked, but they found us."  
"Tried to shoot us to the seventh galaxy", Modo added.  
"Yeah, that failed. But they managed to damage the ship and…"  
"I don't wanna bring ya down, bro, but if I remember it right, it was you who broke the steering wheel…", Modo casually interrupted him, a teasing smile on his lips.  
A blush was clearly visible under Throttle's fur and he chuckled a little uncomfortable.  
"Yeah well, I knew I should've gone for the power steering… "  
Stoker laughed and clapped him on the back.  
"It happens to the best, Throttle, trust me."  
"I'm sure it does. Anyway, we crashed on Earth, found Kiwi in the process and after saving her life, we asked her to help us. Luckily, she did... "  
"Yeah, it was a risk, alright, but glad we took it. Ain't no sweeter girl on Earth than Kiwi ma'am", Modo nodded lovingly.  
Stoker nodded, hearing how the two bro's spoke about this girl, a loving tone in their voice. She must be special.  
"Later, we found out about Limburger, a Plutarkian stinkfish who was trying to do to Earth as what they did to Mars. It was then we decided that stopping him was gonna be our first priority instead of finding a way back", Throttle continued.  
"But stopping him was harder than we thought. Sure, we stopped his schemes, but catching that fish was a whole different story", Modo explained.  
"So, we had a few adventures on Earth. One more fun than the other. And a few were… well, not that much fun... ", Throttle trailed off, thinking back.  
Sure, they had a great time on Earth. But there were a few things that happened there he wasn't gonna forget that easily.  
"Yeah… But we made it back, bro. In one piece. With Limburger. Mission accomplished", Modo tried to cheer his bro and leader up.  
"And you brought a human…", Stoker added. curious about her story. There just was something about her that intrigued him. He wasn't sure what it was. But fact remained there was.  
"Yeah, she insisted... and trust me, the girl can be persuasive, alright. Besides, we couldn't just leave her behind. Not after everything we've been through together", Throttle said, sharper than he intended. But he somehow was feeling the need to protect Kiwi. To stand up for her. But Stoker raised his hands in his defence.  
"Wow, easy, rookie. I ain't got no problem with you bringing her here. In my humble opinion, everybody who's willing to fight by our side is more than welcome here."  
"Guess you're the first…"  
"I ain't Carbine, Throttle", Stoker pointed out, knowing who the tan furred mouse was addressing to. "What's her problem anyway?"  
"Kiwi is with Vinnie", Modo simply explained.  
"I figured. I think he was trying to tell me that when I was introducing myself", Stoker grinned, thinking back at the almost hostile and possesive way Vinnie had interfered.  
"Can't blame him. With all due respect, coach, but you seem to have the same taste in woman as Vinnie…", Modo said with cation, referring to the whole love triangle with him, Harley and Vinnie. It had broke Stoker's heart that she'd picked Vinnie, Modo knew that.  
But he never had stopped caring about her.  
Stoker's grin faded and he sighed.  
"Still no sign of her, right?"  
He had to ask. Even if he knew the answer already, he had this weird thing they called hope after being locked up for a while.  
Maybe, just maybe, something had happened in the meantime.  
"Not that I know of, Stoke", Throttle answered friendly.  
"So, the punk has found himself a new one, never thought I would see the day", Stoker smoothly took away the painful subject called Harley.  
"Yeah, although you make it sound like he's got himself a new bike. She's different, coach. He really loves her. I think even more than he loved Harley. But that's just a guess, since he never talks about her", Modo said, a little sad.  
Stoker's face darkened when Modo said Harley's name. But he quickly recovered and rose on his feet, clapping his two best pupils, friends and bro's on the back.  
"Well fella's, it's been a treat, but this old mouse is running outta gas. Night, mudpuppies."  
"Night, Stoke."  
"Night, coach."  
They followed him with their eyes.  
"He's never gonna get over it, now does he?", Modo sighed.  
Throttle shook his head.  
"Nope…Guess we all have our demons..."

Kiwi wiggled herself closer to Vinnie, pulling the blanket all the way up to her chin. Jesus, Martian nights were cold, alright. She was happy she'd convinced Vinnie to stay, even if it was for only one night. Her first night on a strange planet. Vinnie had hesitated for a moment, knowing that if Carbine would find out, he was in deep shit. But almost immediately the decision to stay followed up that thought.  
Fuck Carbine. Since when did he wat she wanted anyway?  
Even if she was almost crawling _inside_ of her white furred macho mouse, she kept shivering. As hot as it had been when they arrived here, so cold was it now. Dammit, this was gonna take some time to get used to. Vinnie pulled her closer against him with a soft growl, clearly having no trouble with the cold and absolutely clueless about her suffering. He mumbled something in his sleep, burying his nose in her hair, but she couldn't hear what it was. She closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the cold. After what felt like a eternity, she slowly drifted off. Finally…

 ***BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP***

Her eyes flew open and she almost jumped up against the ceiling because of the loud sound.  
Same goes for her macho mouse, who jerked upright so fast, he fell outta the bed. He ended up on his hands and knees, searching for his weapon, clearly still dazed from sleep.  
"Jesus, Vin, what the hell is that awful noise?", Kiwi asked a little panicked, holding her hands against her ears.  
Why did they make this sirene so loud that it even was killing her, if she had to believe Vinnie, not that sensitive hearing.  
Why in the world would you make a alarm this loud when all the people, or mice in this case, who lived here had the same sensitive hearing as a dog on Earth?  
Jesus.  
Vinnie, now fully awake, jumped at his feet with his gun in his hand, a big grin on his face.  
"That, my dearest sweetheart of the whole universe, means trouble."  
He quickly pulled on his pants and put his gun in his holster after he striped it around his right leg. He threw his hoodie towards Kiwi who pulled it over her head. Since it was way too big, it was more like a dress for her. A dress with one of Vinnie's sweatpants under it. Not that sexy. But she couldn't care less at this moment and it was not like she had something else to wear.  
The question was; what the hell was going on?  
Vinnie dragged her with him outta her room, keeping her close to him when they walked into chaos. Every mouse on the base had woke up because of the alarm. Kiwi pulled the hoodie over her head, trying to be as invisible as possible. Vinnie spotted Modo, who was making his way towards them.  
"Yo bro, do ya know what's going on?", Vinnie asked when they joined him, but the gray furred mouse shook his head.  
"Nope, but I was on my way to get you, since you weren't sleeping in your own bed…", he added nonchalant and Vinnie blushed.  
"No worries, I won't tell Carbine. Speaking of which, let's go find her, to see what's going on."  
"Where's Throttle?", Kiwi asked.  
Modo looked down at her while they were wading their way through the busy hallways.  
"Where do ya think he is?", he smiled and Kiwi smiled a little sheepishly.  
"Ask a silly question…", she mumbled.  
So far the sense of giving the guys back their old room.  
No girls allowed. HA.  
No, so the boys just went over to see the girls. Funny.  
"There she is", Vinnie pointed.  
Carbine and Throttle were on their way down and Vinnie quickly whistled between his teeth. That took Throttle's attention and he dragged Carbine with him towards his bro's.  
"Hey there, fearless leader. Care to share what's going on?", the white furred mouse asked.  
"Apparently, we're missing a prisoner…", Carbine answered that question. Then, she looked at Throttle.  
"I need to go to the Main Hall, to turn this chaos into something streamlined, god forbid who activated the alarm without telling me, god dammit."  
She gave Throttle a quick kiss and she was gone.  
Modo looked at his older bro.  
"You have any idea which prisoner is missing exactly?"  
"No, but I've got me a feeling deep down we won't like the answer."

The guys and Kiwi stared at the empty cell. The door was still locked. There were no signs of a break out. Nothing. As if he was vanished into thin air.  
Modo rammed his fist against the wall in anger, his eye glowing red.  
"We had him! We finally had him! How is this even possible?", he growled in frustration.  
Throttle rubbed his chin and looked at the guard, who was standing next to the cell, a little lost.  
"So, you did your round and noticed the cell was empty? Nothing you heard, or…?", the tan furred mouse asked, not unfriendly.  
The guard, a young soldier with a light gray fur, shook his head.  
"No sir. When I walked my previous round, he was still here. And then the next round, about a hour later or so, he was gone all of a sudden… I dunno how…"  
His voice was shaky, the poor guy was clearly blaming himself for this and scared Throttle or Carbine was gonna be mad at him for this. He had never met the famous trio before, but he had heard about them. They were legends on this base. He had heard about Throttle. He knew he was with Carbine. He knew he was high in rank.  
Throttle lay a hand on the shoulder of the young mouse.  
"It's okay, soldier. I don't think this is your fault. Unless you let him walk outta here, but I highly doubt that…"  
"So? What are we waiting for? Let's go find that cheeseface!", Vinnie suggested, bouncing on his feet in excitement.  
But Throttle shook his head.  
"No dice, Vincent. We've absolutely no clue where that stinkfish is hiding. Besides, I had a chat with Carbine about how things are done here on Mars these days. The rats joined the Plutarkians, so did the Sand Raiders and there's even a resistance with Martian Mice who are sick of the war and have this weird idea in their head that if they do what the Plutarkians want, they'll leave. Ambushes and boobytraps everywhere… Things are changed. The former army and Freedom Fighters are the only ones who are still fighting against the stinkfaces. The rest of this planet has giving up. We can't leave this base without a plan, not anymore."  
Vinnie snorted and crossed his arms.  
"I still don't see the problem here. It sounds more like a party to me…"  
Throttle rolled his eyes.  
"All I'm trying to say is that we can't just rush into things, meaning riding out in the dark, without having a clue where to go. But that doesn't mean we'll let him get away with this. Oh no… hehe… He's gonna pay for this. We'll find him. Trust me. And when we do, you'll get your fight."  
Vinnie bit his lower lip, but then nodded.  
"Fine. Guess that's fair enough."  
Kiwi was studying the cell, not listening to the conversation. She noticed the floor was covered with red sand.  
That's good. Sand was a perfect underground for traces. Footprints, to be precise.  
"Can you open the cell, please?", she asked toneless, still staring at the floor.  
The mice fell silent and she turned around to face the guard.  
"Well?"  
The young mouse looked at Throttle, who gave his permission by giving a small nod.  
Kiwi sighed and stepped aside. So this was how it was gonna be, huh? Well, bring it on. She'd found back strength and she was gonna show them all she was a _gain_ for the team, not a _burden_. They wanted her to prove herself?  
Fine. Let's do this shit.  
She walked inside the cell and kneeled next to the marks she'd seen from outside the cell. Her finger followed the lines, a thoughtful frown on her face.  
The guys shared a confused look, but shrugged and decided to wait till she was done.

After staring at the floor for almost fifteen minutes, following lines and a lot of thinking, Kiwi rose on her feet again.  
Vinnie was hanging against the wall, clearly bored. Throttle and Modo were talking with the soldier, trying to get more information, but the young mouse had told them everything already.  
Kiwi cleared her throat.  
"I think I know what happened here."  
That took everybody's attention.  
"I think someone busted him out", Kiwi started, but the young mouse cut her off.  
"I already told ya, that ain't possible, I was here and…", but Kiwi held up her hand, her eyes fuming.  
"If you just let me talk, you'll understand what I'm trying to say", she snapped at him. The guard studied her, a little surprised, but shut his mouth.  
"Anyway, it's clear someone else has been in the cell. If you look at the marks here…", but again someone cut her off. But this time it was Vinnie.  
"Sweetheart, get to the point, puhlease."  
Right.  
She looked at the mice.  
"I think it was Karbunkle. He must have used some sort of portable transporter to get his smelly boss outta here."  
A silence.  
"Are ya sure 'bout this, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo asked.  
"Of course I'm not, but this is the most logical explanation. The footprints on the floor aren't only from Limburger, there are also traces of someone wearing pointy boots. I only know one person who wears those awful things…"  
"You call this logical?", the guard snorted, but Vinnie pushed him away as if he was nothing more than a annoying fly that was zooming around his head.  
"Shut up", he growled and then looked at Throttle.  
"Ya see? I told ya! I told ya, I told ya! We should've kicked their asses when we had the chance instead of letting them run of like that!"  
Throttle sighed.  
"Let's talk to Carbine about this. Come on, guys. Kiwi."  
"Let's talk to Stoker, ya mean…", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but the tan furred mouse decided to ignore him.  
This whole situation was already bad enough without having a argument with the most stubborn mouse in this whole galaxy about who was in charge right now.

"Are you sure about this?", Carbine asked, looking at Throttle, who looked at Kiwi.  
The human girl cleared her throat.  
"Well, it's the most logical explanation. Karbunkle is smart enough to build a transportable transporter. And who else would bust Limburger out? I mean, he isn't really a popular guy here, now is he? But his minions took the trip all the way down here with us. They're here. They're loyal to him."  
Stoker rubbed his chin.  
"Hmmm… We can't just let him slip through our fingers, maybe he ain't popular, but he proved to be a threat to this planet. I'll put up a search team which you will lead, Throttle. As soon as the sun rises, in about two hours, you guys will ride out."  
"Two hours? Ah man, what am I gonna do with all this adrenaline till then?", Vinnie moaned, wriggling on his seat, his ears and tail twitching.  
"I'm sure you figure something out, punk. Maybe your pretty lady can help ya with that", and Stoker winked at Kiwi with a somehow little dirty smile around his lips. Her cheeks burned and she looked away, biting her lip.  
"What if he's back to Earth?", Carbine asked to turn the conversation back on the subject that mattered, namely; a escaped smelly stink fish.  
"I don't think so. Look what I found", and Kiwi lay her phone on the table. To her surprise, the thing did work here and with some effort, she was able to find some news items.  
" _Oversized monstrous alien gerbils riding on motorcycles spotted in Chicago!"_ , screamed the headline.  
The article started with a picture of Vinnie, who was standing on the roof of the guesthouse on his bike, spinning the guns around his fingers with that arrogant smile on his face.  
" _Gerbils_? Well, excuuuuuse me? Gimme that!", and Vinnie snatched the phone of the table, right before Carbine could look at it.  
When he saw the picture, a arrogant grin curled his lips.  
"That's me, alright. The baddest mamma jammer of this side of the asteroid belt!"  
"Modest too…", Throttle sighed while rolling his eyes.  
"Forget modest. Look at this picture man, how can you be modest if you're _that_ good looking?", Vinnie smiled, showing them the picture.  
Kiwi suppressed her smile by seeing the tyring faces around her and grabbed the phone outta Vinnie's hand.  
"Okay, macho mouse, enough with the bragging, alright…", and she looked at the picture again. "Hmmm, you _do_ look good on this picture... but a small reminder; it's taken on Earth and that means everybody knows about you now. What I'm saying, Limburger can't go back either because they also know about him…" and she scrolled down.  
"Listen to this… _The famous and popular businessman Lawrence Limburger, who is seen as a hero in Chicago, apparently had a double agenda. Police has found evidence in his skyscraper that the guy who was paying to rebuild the old neighbourhoods in downtown Chicago, used his image as a cover for his real plans, namely; destroying Chicago. The police has also found numerous mysterious objects, which point out that Lawrence Limburger probably isn't from this planet too. He disappeared the same time as the gerbils…_ Anyway, the rest is all about interplanetary life, which is just a load of bullshit."  
"Interesting… So, that means he's still here on Mars. Or back to Plutark, but that's something I won't believe till my I see it with my own eyes", Throttle said.  
"Good job, beautiful", Stoker nodded towards the human girl, who cheeks turned red again, but this time from gratitude.  
Stoker turned his attention to Carbine.  
"This girl is a good gain for the team, when the guys are out, I'll take her with me to meet the guys from tech. I think that's the perfect place for her to be."  
Vinnie folded his arms while leaning backwards in his chair, giving Carbine a smugly smile.  
The light gray furred female sighed, but nodded. She knew perfectly well Stoker was back in charge now he was back.  
And maybe he was right.  
"Okay. Tomorrow, you'll take you oath. Tomorrow, you'll be really one of us. Don't let us down."  
"I won't", Kiwi said towards the General, and then looked at Stoker.  
"Thanks Stoker. Really appreciate this."  
"No problem, pretty lady. No problem."  
Kiwi suddenly felt a calmth inside of her. Things were already starting to fall on their place, way sooner than she'd expected. Vinnie was right.  
Things were gonna be okay.  
"Coach, with all due respect, but I don't think we need a search team. We're used to handle things with just the three of us…", Modo opened his mouth for the first time.  
"Yeah, the big guy is right, old man. I mean, who needs a whole cavalry when you have moi?", Vinnie agreed, studying his nails.  
"Hate to say it, but the big fella's got a point, Stoke. Besides, going out with a whole army is gonna draw too much unneeded attention…", Throttle nodded.  
Stoker laughed, while shaking his head.  
"Alright, you mudpuppies. We'll make sure there's a team standby in case you'll need backup."  
"Pfuh, as if we need backup. Come on, we're the _Biker Mice From Mars_! The best! Always have been and always will be. There was no backup on Earth either, but hey, we managed", Vinnie snorted, somehow insulted because Stoker could even suggest such a thing.  
Everybody let out a heavily sigh and Throttle rose on his feet.  
"Let's check the bikes and make sure they're ready when the sun comes up", he quickly ordered his bro's.  
No way he was gonna be able to listen to that walking ego for a minute longer.  
He did have point, though, but no way he was gonna say that out loud.  
Not today.  
He left the room and looked over his shoulder.  
"Watch your step, Vincent, it would be inconvenient if your swelled head gets stuck in the doorway."  
He just couldn't resist. He quickly continued his way, hearing Vinnie's loud protest coming from the room.  
He smiled. It was good to be back.

"Be careful, guys…", Kiwi said softly while the mice mounted their bikes.  
They'd changed into the Freedom Fighter attire, but Vinnie was still wearing his black baggy bike jeans. On top of it, a yellow soft shirt (yes, a shirt) with his bandoliers crossed over his chest. A sleeveless green hoodie and the familiar purple bandana around his neck made the picture of a sexy macho mouse complete.  
"Ah, sweetheart, you know we will…", the white furred mouse said with a low voice, ruffling through her hair.  
"Ya think you gonna be okay here, on your own?"  
"Yeah, after breakfast, Stoker promised me to take me with him to meet the team. So, he'll take care of me, no worries, love."  
"Telling me Stoker takes care of ya is enough reason for me to worry", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
Kiwi looked at him, a little surprised.  
"Are you telling me you're jealous?"  
"What? No way, it's just… Nothing. Never mind, it ain't important. Call me if somethings wrong, okay? You know how to reach my bike, right?", Vinnie quickly said, and the tone in his voice told her to let this go for now.  
"Yeah, I know. Stay safe, macho mouse", she sighed and wrapped his arms around his neck.  
"Safe? Where's the fun in that?", Vinnie answered, but pulled her in a tight hug.  
Modo, now wearing a khaki baggy pants with also a soft yellow shirt on top of it, and Throttle, now wearing the same pants and shirt as Modo, but with a green military jacket over it, were waiting patiently till the lovebirds were done.  
"Modo!"  
A voice soft and tinkling voice like Christmas bells made the gray furred giant look over his shoulder.  
"Hey there, Amira ma'am", he said polite when he recognized the honey coloured biologist that was walking over to him.  
"Already heard you guys are back! But you're leaving already?", she asked while she stopped next to him.  
"Duty calls, ma'am. We've got ourselves a fish to catch."  
"Ah, yeah, heard about that too. Well, be careful out there, okay? It can be dangerous."  
"Dangerous?", Vinnie suddenly interfered, his arms still around Kiwi. "As in… life threatening?"  
Amira looked over her shoulder and shot the white furred mouse a annoyed look.  
"Yes, what else should I mean?"  
"But you make it sound like there's a problem, babe…"  
Throttle chuckled by seeing the expression on Amira's face.  
"You'll get used to it… one day. Alright boys, it's time for us to ROCK…"  
Vinnie gave Kiwi a short but heated kiss before popping a wheelie and winked at her.  
Modo smiled friendly to Amira and closed his visor.  
"... and RIDE!"  
They sped outta the garage, Vinnie blowing a hand kiss towards Amira who, to her annoyance, blushed.  
The white furred mouse laughed out loud and hit the accelerator, leaving a cloud of red dust behind.  
Amira and Kiwi were watching them go. Once they were outta sight, Amira turned towards Kiwi.  
"So, wanna eat breakfast with me?", she asked friendly.  
She could only imagine how hard it must be for the human girl, to follow the love of your life to a unfamiliar planet and the guy already leaving to go on a mission after being here one night. She could use a friend. And the human girl had proven to be kind and friendly.  
So Amira didn't just ask her to be polite. She liked her.  
Kiwi gave her a warm and grateful look.  
"I'd love to."

"AAAAAOOOOWWWW, hell yeaaah, the gang is back!", Vinnie howled happily while firing his jets and making a somersault with his bike in the air. He landed wildly on his tires and his bike wobbled, but he used his weight to get it back on track.  
"Gotta admit, bro's, but it feels mighty good to be back", Modo smiled.  
"Yeah, but keep your eyes open, bro's."  
Vinnie was almost bouncing on his bike, looking around him, but all he saw was desert, rocks and sand dunes.  
"Ah, Throttle, lighten up, will ya? There's absolutely no…", but before he could finish his sentence, his bike suddenly stopped and he flew off.  
"Yiiaaooww!"  
Throttle and Modo hit the brakes, turned around and stopped next to their bro, who got upright while rubbing his lower back.  
"You were saying, Vincent?", Throttle asked dryly when he saw what had caused the fall of his younger bro.  
"Boobytraps." And he pointed at the bear trap that was now holding Vinnie's bike by the rear tire. His bike wasn't amused and was revving her engine angrily, but the chain was strong enough to hold her.  
Modo chuckled and used his armcannon to free the agitated red racer.  
Vinnie rose on his feet, still holding his lower back with a sheepish smile on his face.  
"Right. Boobytraps", he mumbled.  
Throttle stepped off his bike and looked at the trap.  
"Hmmm… doesn't look like your average Plutarkian gear… No, this must be from someone else, some low life…", but a sound in the distance made him stop talking and they all looked up.  
"Rats!", Modo called out, his eye glowing red when he recognized the silhouettes that were coming towards them.  
"How did they even know we're here?", Vinnie asked, mounting his bike while patting her on the side to calm her down.  
"There's a sensor in the trap. Must've activated some kinda alarm... "  
"So, should we pound them?", Vinnie asked hopeful, but Throttle shook his head.  
"Nah, ain't worth the energy. Finding Limburger is prio number one. Put on the scanners on your bikes, bro's, so we can spot the traps before they trap us. Let's ride!"  
Vinnie pouted, but pushed a button on his bike to activate his radar and followed his bro's.  
The rats weren't fast enough and when they reached the trap, the mice were already gone.

They were driving for hours now, and thanks to the scanners on their bikes, they managed to avoid the boobytraps. They hadn't seen any enemies after the whole bear trap escapade.  
Vinnie was starting to get bored.  
"Ah man, where's the action?", he sighed while swirling around a landmine that was hidden under the sand.  
"Throttle, this is boring! Can't we just activate one little boobytrap, ya know, so we can blow some useless rats to the seventh galaxy?"  
"No dice, Vincent. We ain't here to look for trouble. We're here to find Limburger."  
"Can't see the difference", Modo smiled.  
"At least Limburger knows how to entertain me", Vinnie snapped at his older bro. "Ugh, this is just taking forever", he continued his whining.  
But when they drove over a large sand dune, Throttle suddenly whistled between his teeth.  
"Wow, wow, wow, bro's, hold up!"  
They hit the brakes and Vinnie's face lit up, a big grin almost splitting it in two.  
"Now _that's_ more like it!"  
A huge building made outta the characteristic Martian red stone was standing between some small mountains.  
Throttle narrowed his eyes.  
"Guys, is it just me, or does that building look awfully familiar?", he asked, looking at the building. "And it ain't a happy memory…"  
"What? Who cares, let's scoop it out!", and Vinnie revved his bike, but Modo grabbed the white furred mouse by the tail.  
"Hold it, bro. If you can forget you're need for adrenaline for one moment and use that brain of yours for once, then you'll see what ain't right about this picture."  
Vinnie yanked his tail free, but took a few deep breaths and looked a little closer at the building. His heart skipped a beat.  
"Wait a minute… that looks a lot like Limburger Tower…"  
"Ahhh, the brains finally start to work. Bingo, Vincent. So, I think the question here is, bro's… How is it even possible that that stinkfish has the same building standing on Mars as he had on Earth, while he was in jail till a few hours ago?"  
"Even Limburger can't built that fast…", Modo nodded, rubbing his chin. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.  
"Ya don't mean…?", Vinnie asked, his tail lashing thought the air because of his annoyance.  
"That's exactly what I mean, Vinnie my bro. I think the big fish had this whole thing planned… and we were nothing more than pawns in his big master plan... "

* * *

BOOYAH!

Took me like, forever. But I'm satisfied with the result.  
Could the mice be right? That Limburger had planned all this and used the mice for his plan?  
And if so, why would he do that?

Anywayz, appreciate it if you guys leave a review.  
Thanks again for supporting me by reading my story, much love to y'all!

Till next time!  
Later dudes!


	52. Chapter 51

Heya guys!

Hope you're all doing fine. So, it's really getting old, but thanks again for the reviews. Very much appreciated.  
I bet ya guys are getting awfully tired to hear that every time. But I'll keep saying it.

Anywayz, next chapter.  
Enjoy ^^

* * *

 **Chapter fifty one**

"So, how are you adjusting here? It must be weird to move to another planet…", Amira asked while taking a bite.  
Kiwi was playing with her food, thinking how to answer this question. But she decided to come clean.  
"I've gotta admit, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be…"  
They were sitting in the Main Hall, and Kiwi could feel the burning gazes from the mice around her. News travelled fast, also on Mars. Everybody now knew that the famous Biker Mice were back and they'd brought a human. Every mouse in the Main Hall was looking at her with curiosity and Kiwi didn't knew what to do with it. It made her feel very uncomfortable, so eventually she decided to pull the hoodie over her head.  
Maybe she couldn't hide herself, but the least she could do was to shut them out. To _try_ to shut them out.  
Amira gave her a sympathetic look.  
"I think they just need time to get used to you. I mean, the first time when I saw you, I could only stare too. We all know about Earth. We know about humans. We use a lot of their habits and stuff. But seeing one, now that's a different story…"  
"Yeah, well, the first time I saw a Martian Mouse I could only stare too. I just wished… I dunno, that instead of staring at me, they'd come over to talk to me or something like that."  
"It's in the nature of a Martian Mouse to approach strangers with caution. And the war only strengthened that instinct. Give them some time", Amira explained friendly, while studying the human girl, well, her clothes. She noticed the white hairs on the black hoodie, also that it was way too big for the fragile little human girl.  
"You're wearing Vinnie's clothes, because…?", she asked, a little hesitant.  
Kiwi looked up a little surprised, but then smiled a little sheepishly.  
"I didn't had the chance to get my stuff. We kinda left Earth in a hurry…"  
Amira persed her lips.  
"So, you're telling me you came here with… nothing?"  
"Eh, yeah, I think I am…"  
"Jesus, and nobody had the brilliant idea to give you some clothes to wear that actually fit? Men... "  
Amira shook her head a little annoyed.  
"I'll collect some clothes for ya, girl, no worries. I think I'm gonna be able to find something that's your size."  
"Thanks, Amira. That's really kind of you…", Kiwi said softly, somehow a little touched by this simple gesture.  
Amira gave her a friendly smile and focussed on her breakfast again.  
Kiwi was about to take a bite, when someone took place next to her. She froze and slowly turned her head to her right while lowering her hoodie.  
Twinkling brown eyes, a arrogant grin…  
"Hey there, beautiful! Ready to meet the team?"  
"Hey Stoker… Yeah, I guess I am…"  
"But you haven't finished your breakfast yet! You've gotta eat something, Kiwi", Amira protested, but Kiwi lay a hand on hers.  
"It's okay, Amira. I'm not that hungry anyway."  
She rose on her feet.  
"Let's go."

"What do ya mean, he used us? We can't be used. We're way too cool for that!", Vinnie called out outraged, grabbing his handlebars tightly.  
"Well, next time I'll tell him that when I get the memo", Modo answered dryly. But then he grew serious again.  
"But Throttle, come on… Why would the big cheese plan to go back to Mars and take us along with it? Earth has so much more to offer when it comes to resources…"  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"I dunno, bro. I think it's time we're gonna ask us some questions, don't ya agree, boys?"  
"Oooeeehhh, you've been reading my mind, bro! The big cheese has some serious explaining to do, alright", and Vinnie revved his bike impatiently. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's ROCK…"  
"... and RIDE!", his bro's finished and Vinnie sped away as if he was fired by a katapult.  
Throttle and Modo quickly followed him, but had a hard time to keep up with him this time. When they reached the bottom of the sand dune, the white furred mouse was already closeby the building.  
"Someone's in a hurry", Modo mumbled.  
"Yeah, well, isn't he always?", Throttle responded. But all of a sudden, something caught his eye on the right side of the building.  
"Vincent! Behind you!", the tan furred mouse yelled in the radio.  
Vinnie looked over his shoulder and saw a huge cannon aimed at him.  
"Hey yous mousies! Mister Limboiger ain't receiving a visit that doesn't have a appointments …", and Greasepit, who was sitting behind the controls of the big weapon, fired.  
Vinnie fired his jets and made a hasty retreat when he saw the missile was coming straight at him. But he wasn't fast enough.  
What? He, Vinnie, the velocity at… Yeah, you heard it. He wasn't fast enough.  
Ugh. Time for plan B.  
He made a sharp turn, his knee almost touching the ground in the process and faced the incoming threat. He grinned and pushed a button on his bike.  
"Well, good thing we're his loyal customers then… and we don't need a appointment!", and he fired his laser.  
The missile exploded while still in the air and Vinnie got knocked off his bike because of the shockwave. The red racer wobbled, for a moment it looked like she was gonna remain on her tires, but then, she toppled over and landed on the white furred mouse before he could stand up.  
"Oempf", Vinnie moaned when the heavy weight pushed the air outta his lungs.  
"Ah, man… this is not my idea of a cool entrance…"  
His head popped up from behind his bike, a blush on his face.  
"Nobody saw that, right?"  
Throttle and Modo stopped next to him, laughing loud.  
"Yeah, you were right, Vin. Who needs a cavalry when we have you?", Modo rumbled and used his armcannon to shoot another incoming missile before it could hit them.  
"Yeah, seems you've got everything perfectly under control, bro", Throttle chuckled, firing his laser at the big cannon, making it explode and because of that, Greasepit flew away.  
"Mister Limboiger ain't gonna like thiiiiiiis!"  
Vinnie quickly pushed himself and his bike up and jumped on the seat again, still a blush on his face.  
"Ha ha ha, very funny", he snarled sarcastic. "Now shut up and ride!", and he drove away, followed by his bro's who were still laughing.  
They wanted to drive inside the building, but before they could, a huge army of rats on trikes drove out and the mice hit the brakes.  
"Say what? Is this the new goon platoon?", Vinnie asked with a slight disgusted look on his face.  
"Only rats would join the big cheese to do such a dirty job", Modo growled, his eye glowing red.  
"Well then, let's give them a nice welcome reception, bro's. Split and hit manoeuvre number eight!", Throttle ordered.  
"No man, number six, number six!", Vinnie protested, but Throttle gave him a warning glare.  
"No, number eight, Vincent..."  
"Ah man…", but the white furred mouse hit the accelerator and sped to the left. Modo took the right and Throttle the middle.  
But the rats opened fire before they could, and the mice had to admit, they did a hell of a better job than the goons back on Earth.  
"Wow, there's some serious resentment here", Vinnie grinned while grabbing his laser.  
Modo tried to shoot back with his arm cannon, but the rat's didn't gave him time.  
"Can't get a shot back…", he growled between clenched teeth, clearly annoyed.  
"Fall back and regroup!", Throttle ordered and they turned their bikes.  
But when they joined each other, a missile exploded under Throttle's bike and the tan furred mouse got thrown off. He landed hard on the ground and stopped moving.  
His bro's hit the brakes.  
"Throttle!", Vinnie called out.  
"Bro!", Modo yelled.  
The rats gained ground, coming closer to the mice, still firing with heavy artillery.  
"Time to retreat, Vin", Modo yelled and sped towards Throttle.  
Vinnie didn't complain this time, not when his bro was injured. He followed Modo and fired one of his biggest missiles.  
It exploded right in front of the rats, just before they reached the tan furred mouse. It bought the bro's the time they needed and Modo quickly grabbed his bro and leader with his tail, while Vinnie shot a hook outta the back of his bike to haul Throttle's ride with him.  
When the smoke of the explosion slowly cleared, the mice were already gone, leaving the rats behind with empty hands. Again.

Stoker and Kiwi were walking through the hallways, Kiwi feeling slightly uncomfortable to be in the presence of the brown furred mouse without the guys. She had absolutely no idea what to say to him.  
"So, beautiful, how's life on Mars for ya? Think it'll grow on ya, one day?", the leader of the resistance asked.  
"I eh… I guess…", Kiwi answered vague.  
Stoker chuckled and to Kiwi's surprise, he swung a arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm.  
"You're gonna be okay, no sweat. I know when I see potential, and you, beautiful, are full with it", and he let her go again.  
Kiwi blushed and put her hands in her pocket, her head down. But she realized again who he was. He'd trained the guys. He'd managed to set up a resistance that was now big enough to be a army. And they were good. Him telling her she'd got potential suddenly was more valuable than her weight in gold.  
"Thanks…", she said softly. "Say, Stoker, can I ask you something?"  
"You, always", and he flashed her a flirtatious grin.  
"What eh… what happened to your tail?"  
His face darkened and Kiwi already regretted her question.  
"I'm sorry, it's okay if you don't wanna talk about it, I'm just… well, curious, I guess."  
"No, it's okay. The punk didn't tell ya?", the brown furred mouse asked.  
"Ehm, no... He's not that much of a talker, well, he talks a lot, but ya know…", she brought out, somehow his question took her off guard.  
Stoker laughed, and it was a pleasant sound. His raw voice echoed through the empty hallways.  
"Right on. I lost my tail in a explosion, the same that knocked down the guys, and the Plutarkians decided to give me a new one."  
"Oh!", Kiwi blurted out, now understanding his question better.  
He had been with them, that day. She never knew…  
"Yeah, well… I'm somehow glad they did, I mean, a mouse without a tail is the same as a bird without wings. Can't fly without it."  
He stopped in front of a big metal door.

' _Man cave, no girls allowed!'_

Stoker shook his head in annoyance and ripped off the sign.  
"Honestly, kids these days…", he growled while throwing the sign over his shoulder. He then looked at Kiwi, who couldn't hide her smile.  
"This is it. Ready to meet the tech team?", he asked.  
Kiwi suddenly felt a tingle in her belly and her hands turned sweaty. But she nodded determined.  
"Hell yeah, I am. Let's do this."  
Stoker admired her strength, I mean, this whole thing couldn't be easy for her. But she managed to keep herself upright. That's a good thing. That's what the Fighters needed.  
"Alrighty then", and he opened the door.  
"Stoker! You're back!", a heavy voice rumbled, but soon after that…  
" _Hey_! Didn't you see the sign, no girls allowed!"  
"This ain't no regular girl, boys, trust me", Stoker replied sharply.  
Kiwi hardly heard them. She was looking around her with awe.  
The room wasn't that small, but it stored enough technologie to make it look small . Wauw… This was heaven. The walls were covered in screens, most of them showing images of the security cameras. But also maps of Mars, digital blueprints of buildings, pictures of Plutarkians… Everywhere she looked, she saw computers, printers, and enough devices she didn't recognize. Yet.  
Oh yeah, she had the feeling she was gonna feel right at home here.  
"...Kiwi, Mars to Kiwi…", and Stoker snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention.  
She snapped outta her trance and whirled around.  
"Right, sorry… I was ehm… Yeah, just a little distracted…I guess...", she stuttered, a faint blush on her cheeks.  
"Ya think?", Stoker chuckled dryly, but then focussed on the three male mice that were leaning back in a chair, looking curious at Kiwi.  
"Guys, I want ya to meet, Kiwi. She's here to help ya with whatever you guys are doing in here. Maybe she looks different, but she's one of us, so treat her with respect. Kiwi, meet Neo…", and Stoker pointed at a blond furred mouse with blue eyes, who gave her a small nod.  
"... Jax…", now pointing at a almost silver furred mouse with black eyes who tapped with two fingers against the side of his head to greet her.  
"... and Flash."  
A black furred mouse with green eyes gave her a small smile.  
"Neo is the leader of the team, he'll give you a heads up about how things work around here", Stoker finished. He turned to face Kiwi and patted her on the shoulder.  
"Think ya can manage from here?"  
"Yeah, I guess… Thanks, Stoker."  
"No problem. See you with lunch, okay beautiful?"  
He now faced the guys.  
"Respect, remember?", he warned them one more time and then smiled. "Later!"

When he was gone, a silence dawned on them. But then, Neo rose on his feet and Kiwi's eyes grew big. Wow, the guy was huge, alright. About Modo's size. But not that muscular. Come to think of it, they all weren't that buff as the guys. Trained, yes. But no soldiers. It was clear they would never drive into a battlefield.  
But hey, who cares? She wouldn't either.  
"Welcome to our eh… man cave, that ain't no man cave anymore, I guess", Neo chuckled, his voice was soft and friendly.  
"Guess we need a new name", Jax snickered.  
"Thanks…", Kiwi said softly, shuffling her feet.  
Suddenly, Jax was standing in front of her and studied closely. Then, he raised his hand and touched her cheek with one finger.  
"Wow, this is so weird!", he called out surprised and poked her again.  
Flash was suddenly standing next to him and pushed the silver furred mouse away.  
"Jax, come on, where are your manners?"  
"But look at that tiny little nose! And her ears!", Jax protested with humor in his voice.  
Flash rolled his eyes.  
"Don't mind Jax, he has no filter. It has its benefits though, what you see is what you get. Anyway, welcome."  
Kiwi giggled. This wasn't that bad. They were actually really nice.  
"Thanks. And really, it's okay. I'm used to the no filter thing. It's refreshing, really."  
"Finally, someone who understands! I'm already starting to like her, boss", Jax smiled while elbowing Neo in the side.  
The blonde furred mouse pushed him away, but with a smile on his face. He then looked at Kiwi.  
"So, maybe you wanna tell me why Stoker decided to let you join our small team?"  
"I'm good with computers", she simply explained.  
"Well, that makes sense", Jax nodded.  
"Short, briefly… Yeah, I like it", Flash agreed.  
"Good! You're hired!", Neo called out.  
Kiwi laughed.  
"Alright, alright. Back on Earth, I studied ICT, meaning information and communication technology. My father was a hacker who worked for the government, guess I inherited his talent with computers. I'm especially good at hacking into highly secured software programs."  
The three mice were staring at her, Jax almost drooling.  
"Don't ya just love it when a woman speaks like that?", he moaned.  
"Yeah, it's so refreshing to hear a woman say something that actually makes sense…", Flash nodded.  
"Hmm, hmm. Like a angel calling your name…", Neo agreed with his eyes closed and a satisfied smile on his face.  
Kiwi giggled. Yeah, this day was getting better by the minute. Maybe she was gonna feel herself at home here sooner than she'd thought.  
"Well, boys, why don't you show me around in heaven?", she asked while gesturing at the room.  
Well, it sure looked more like a cave. No windows. Soft light. Soothing.  
"Hmmm... Heaven, I like that…" Flash rubbed his chin.  
"No way, dude, way too mushy!", Jax protested, but Neo also had a thoughtful frown on his face.  
"Heaven… Yeah, kinda like the sound of that…"  
Jax ears drooped and Kiwi somehow felt sorry for him.  
"What about Braavos?", she suggested, without thinking.  
It was the thirst thing that came into mind. She'd watched too much Game Of Thrones.  
Jax his face lit up.  
"Yeah… That sounds good! It kinda sounds like brave, but then differently! How did you come up with that?"  
Kiwi shrugged.  
"It's a city in a TV serie I used to watch, back on Earth…", she trailed off, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness.  
Neo and Flash shared a look.  
"Very well. Braavos it is then!", Neo quickly said. "Come on, I'll give ya a tour."  
And Kiwi followed him, her sadness soon forgotten. Even if the room was now called Braavos, it still was heaven to her.

Vinnie and Modo rushed inside the garage, stopping their bikes with shrieking brakes. Modo stepped off his bike with the still unconscious Throttle in his arms. Vinnie opened the door that led inside and took a deep breath.  
"YO! We need a nurse over here!", he then screamed, his voice raw.  
Soon, the girl that asked him for a drink the other night rushed towards them. But this time, she didn't let herself get distracted. Someone needed help. And that was priority number one.  
"Can you bring him to the infirmary?", she asked Modo after a quick exam.  
"Sure, ma'am", he rumbled and followed her.  
"You can call me Lola… Ma'am makes me feel old", she said over her shoulder.  
Vinnie, who rushed after Modo, blinked a few times. Lola… Nope. Still no bells ringing.  
When they came into the infirmary, two other nurses gestured to a empty bed and Modo lay Throttle down. He did a step back to give the nurses room to their job.  
"Vinnie, why don't you call Carbine, to tell her…", but Vinnie cut him off.  
"Ah man, why do I always get the dirty jobs?"  
Modo sighed.  
"Never mind, I'll do it."  
And he walked away. Vinnie dropped on a seat closeby Throttle's bed and watched the nurses examine him. His tail was twitching, he sure wasn't amused the rat's got the best of them. Ugh. And they still had no clue why Limburger was back.  
This day wasn't going well.  
Modo soon joined him again, sitting down on the chair next to him.  
"Carbine is on her way."  
"Whoopidoo…", Vinnie replied sarcastic.  
Suddenly, they heard Throttle moan and they both jumped at their feet and rushed over to their bro.  
"Throttle, bro, you okay?", Modo asked worried.  
"Yeah, bro, you took quite the knocking…", Vinnie added.  
Throttle slowly got upright, rubbing his head.  
"Man… I'm fine. Next to a huge headache, that is…"  
Lola gave him a few pills.  
"Take this. He'll be okay", she said the last towards Vinnie and Modo.  
"Thank you, Lola ma'am", the gray furred giant answered polite, but Lola had her gaze fixed on Vinnie.  
But the white furred mouse ignored her. For a moment, it looked like she was gonna say something, but then Carbine walked inside and the young nurse made a hasty retreat.  
"Jesus, Throttle, back for only one day and I already need to visit you at the infirmary", Carbine sighed while rubbing his cheek.  
"Yeah, well… Getting my ass kicked at day one ain't my idea of having a good time either, babe", Throttle chuckled, laying his hand over hers lovingly.  
"I'm so with ya, time for some payback!", Vinnie growled, hitting his fist into his other hand.  
"Easy, adrenaline mouse, we'll get them. But just not today..", Throttle moaned while lying down again.  
"But…", Vinnie started, but Carbine cut him off.  
"What happened anyway?"  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, glaring at the General.  
Bitch. Ugh.  
"Well, we found the big cheese", Modo said, popping his arm cannon in and out. "But he was prepared…"  
"Prepared? How is that even possible when he was in jail untill this night?", Carbine asked, a little surprised.  
"We were about to ask him that, ya know. Also were curious why we found him in a building that's a copy of the one he had on Earth… But we didn't have a appointment", Vinnie explained annoyed.  
Carbine gave him a confused look.  
"Normally, you ain't that hard to follow, but now… what the hell are you talking about?"  
Vinnie shrugged, turning his gaze away. He clearly wasn't in the mood to tell her the whole story.  
So, Modo did.  
When he was done, Carbine's jaw was almost hanging on the floor.  
"What the… Gotta admit, didn't see this one coming…"  
"Join the club", Vinnie snapped at her.  
"We need to inform Stoker about this", Carbine said, ignoring the white furred mouse.  
"Ya know, this is the first time since, I dunno, since the day we've met I guess, you say something that actually makes sense", Vinnie said challenging. He just couldn't stop himself. Everytime he was near to the light gray furred female mouse, he felt the need to annoy her. To challenge her.  
Carbine opened her mouth, but then…  
"Stop bugging my right hand, punk."  
Stoker walked into the infirmary, winking at the nurses who blushed and lowered their eyes.  
"So, no cavalry needed, huh?", he asked when he saw Throttle lying in the bed.  
"They just caught us by surprise, that's all, Stoke", the tan furred mouse answered tiredly.  
Stoker clapped him on the arm.  
"You can take the rest of the day off, rookie."  
"Geez, thanks, coach… really, that's so generous of you…"  
"I know, I know. Take it easy, will ya?", and Stoker looked at the rest. "Time for lunch. A perfect place to tell me what happened. Let's go."

Kiwi walked inside the Main Hall with Neo, Jax and Flash.  
"After lunch, I'll give you your own tablet, since you told us you needed to leave your own equipment behind", Neo told her.  
"Great!", Kiwi smiled and looked around her. She soon spotted her macho mouse, sitting at a table with Stoker, Modo and Carbine. She turned around to face her three new friends.  
"See you guys later!", and she almost ran away.  
Vinnie saw her approaching the table and jumped at his feet, pulling her in his arms when she was close enough.  
"Sweetheart…", he mumbled happily, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "You okay?"  
Kiwi looked up at him with twinkling eyes.  
"More than okay! I had such a great morning!"  
Stoker winked at her.  
"Good to hear, beautiful. So the guys treated you okay, I suppose?"  
"Yeah, they're very kind. And the technique that's standing in that room, oh my god, it's amazing, I can't believe it and…", she babbled happily, while sitting down next to Vinnie, who shoved a plate with food towards her, a small smile around his lips. He was happy to see she was doing okay. He had to admit, he had been worrying about her ever since Chaz ratted them out. But by the looks of things, she was already on her way to adjusting.  
Good.  
She kept babbling about all sort of things, but he hardly heard her. He could only stare at her, his heart pounding in his chest. She was so beautiful. Her soft lips, talking animated about her morning, her white teeth, her shiny hair, that cute little nose…  
Desire filled his veins and he suddenly was having a hard time to not just jump at his feet, drag her with him and well… fuck her brains out. That sounded downright ordinair and cheap, but he couldn't help it that was just the way things were at this very moment.  
Kiwi made eye contact with him and immediately trailed off while looking into his burning eyes, his ruby red eyes almost black.  
Oh boy… The familiar tingle in her belly was back and she bit her lower lip, still staring at her macho mouse.  
Stoker, who looked up from his plate to see why the girl suddenly had stopped talking, noticed the interaction between them. He cleared his throat and Kiwi's head jerked into his direction.  
"Right. Ehm… So, where was I, I… Hey! Where's Throttle?"  
"He's at the infirmary, Kiwi ma'am. No worries, he's fine. We were about to tell Stoke here about what happened."  
Kiwi suddenly felt guilty. She'd totally forgotten about their mission because of her enthusiasm about her new task.  
"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I was..", but Vinnie cut her off.  
"... talking so much nobody could say another word, we know, sweetheart", and he winked playfully at her, his eyes still dark.  
Kiwi blushed under his intense look and quickly focussed on Modo to avoid she was gonna rip off Vinnie's clothes right here, right now.  
Carbine rolled her eyes and took another bite from her lunch, missing Throttle already.  
"So, what happened?"  
"We're used, that's what happened", the white furred mouse sulked.  
Kiwi shook her head in confusion.  
"What?"  
Modo quickly explained what they'd found out.  
Kiwi leaned back in her chair, her mouth wide open. Stoker was rubbing his chin, a thoughtful frown on his face.  
After a few minutes, Kiwi found back her voice.  
"Well, I've gotta admit, that cheese face sure knows how to keep surprising me…"  
"We've gotta find out his plan…", Stoker added.  
"Yeah, they tried, but apparently, blasting a way in ain't gonna work this time", Carbine mentioned.  
"Hey! They just got us by surprise, lady. Trust me, next time we'll get the job done", Vinnie snapped at her, his fur a little bristled.  
"Well, sometimes you just gotta solve things by using the brain…", Kiwi mumbled, a thoughtful look on her face.  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms before his chest.  
"Ugh, come on! Where's the fun in that?"  
"To me, it's a lotta fun. Listen to this. I can try to contact Chaz. Maybe he's ready to talk now. I think he's gonna be a much more reliable source when it comes to finding out what exactly has happened here…", Kiwi mused.  
"Ha! Right. He's the one who's got us in this position in the first place, doll. Reliable indeed…"  
Stoker and Modo opened their mouth at the same time, but Kiwi didn't need their help. She was perfectly able to talk to that walking ego herself.  
Her stubborn macho mouse. Gosh, she loved him so much.  
"Now this is just jealousy talking, Vin. The least we can do, is try. We've got nothing to lose, not anymore! And yeah, I think Chaz is way more honest than Limburger will ever be!"  
Vinnie snorted, but said nothing. Somewhere deep down, he knew she was right. But no fucking way he was gonna say that out loud.  
"Kiwi ma'am is right, bro. This can work", Modo nodded.  
Stoker was somehow impressed by the fire that was inside that small built, almost fragile little human girl. Well, a quality that was required if you wanted to be with Vincent. But still…  
"I think it's a good idea. You're right, we've got nothing to lose. So, you've got my permission, beautiful", and Stoker winked at her.  
Vinnie saw it happen and narrowed his eyes. Hmmm...  
Carbine swallowed her last bite and looked at Kiwi.  
"Tomorrow after dinner, you'll take your oath. Are you sure you're ready for this?", but Kiwi was already nodding.  
"Hell yeah, never been more ready. How does it work, this whole oath taking thingy?"  
"You just repeat a few words with your hand on a ancient book, no biggie, sweetheart", Vinnie replied nonchalant.  
Carbine rolled her eyes.  
"It's a little bit more complicated, but yeah, something like that."  
"Kiwi!"  
Everybody looked up and saw Amira standing at their table, a huge pile of clothes in her arms. She looked around it, her big eyes blinking behind her glasses.  
"I've found some clothes…"  
"Only a few…", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
Honestly, women…  
"... and I think it's time for a little try out…", Amire continued.  
Vinnie's face lit up.  
"Oeh, can I join?"  
Everybody stared at him. He looked back at Kiwi, with that arrogant and slightly dirty smirk on his face.  
"What? I don't mind seeing you naked, sweetheart, and don't you know it", and he wiggled his eyebrows.  
Kiwi giggled, but shook her head.  
"Sorry, macho mouse, but you've gotta sit this one out."  
"Ah man…"  
Kiwi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and rose on her feet.  
"See you guys later!"  
Vinnie leaned with his head in his hands, his eyes followed Kiwi till she was outta sight.  
Man. What a girl.

Kiwi was rushing through the hallways, finally wearing a outfit that fitted her. It turned out the whole pile that Amire was carrying with her was indeed her size and she now had a closet that almost burst outta it's hinges because of the amount of clothing. Kiwi couldn't be more happy, because everything was in the color of the Freedom Fighters and she somehow felt more at home wearing them. And she looked kinda badass. Her pants were brown, a little baggy with bags on the side. On top, a soft yellow shirt and a green vest. Her gun, the one she'd got from Vinnie for Christmas, was now safely in a leg holster that was strapped around her right leg. God, who would've thought she was gonna get to this point in her life? That she was rushing through a military base on Mars, wearing their clothes, carrying a gun.. A giggle escaped her mouth. She stopped for a moment, to investigate the feeling. A big smile appeared on her face and she quickly continued her way towards Braavos.  
Yeah. It was official. She felt happiness. Wauw.  
When she burst inside, the guys looked up from their work and they all smiled appreciatively.  
"Wow, looking good, Kiwi", Jax blurted out, a faint blush on his cheeks.  
Since she was wearing Vinnie's clothes when they'd met, which were way too big, they had no idea the human girl had curves like that.  
"Yeah, the colours match your eyes perfectly", Flash nodded and Kiwi laughed.  
"What the hell are you talking about, my eyes are blue..."  
"Blue, green and yellow match perfectly!", the black furred mouse protested, but Neo shook his head.  
"No way, dude, but nice try."  
"Appreciate the effort", Kiwi added, still giggling. But then, her face grew serious.  
"Boys, we've got a job to do."  
"Only her first day here and she's already ordering us around", Jax moaned playfully.  
"I suddenly remember why the 'no girls allowed' sign was hanging on that door", Flash agreed, but with a teasing smile.  
"Oh, you guys are the worst", Kiwi chuckled.  
"What is it what we need to do, Kiwi?", Neo asked.  
"We need to get in touch with my ex boyfriend on Earth…"  
"Your ex boyfriend? What the hell did he do wrong that you want to contact him from all the way here?", Flash asked, confused.  
"Well, glad you ask. He's the one who rat us out."  
"Autjs, now that's just harsh. He couldn't just say you were done?", Jax asked.  
"We were already done. But no time to discuss my former love life. We have reason to believe he worked with Limburger."  
"Now it's getting interesting", Neo smiled.  
They had heard about Limburger. How the Biker Mice had dragged his sorry ass over here. How he escaped.  
"I know, right. So, let's get to work!"

After a few hours, they'd managed to find a way how to call Chaz. Kiwi hesitated for a moment. She needed to mentally prepare herself for this one. No one needed to remind her about the importance of this call. How important it was she was gonna get information that could help them further.  
So, that meant no yelling. No pointing fingers. No accusations. But that wasn't that easy. Only thinking about him made her blood boil.  
Jax noticed her reluctance.  
"You okay?", he asked, a little hesitant.  
Kiwi closed her eyes for a moment.  
"Well, I've gotta admit, this ain't something I really look forward to…"  
"I figured."  
The silver furred mouse glanced at her.  
"So, I noticed at lunch you're with Vinnie now?"  
Kiwi looked up surprised.  
"You know Vinnie?"  
"Everybody knows Vinnie", Flash interfered with their conversation. "Just like everybody knows Throttle and Modo. Maybe not all personal, but they're legends here on this base."  
"Yeah, they're the Biker Mice. The best soldiers the Freedom Fighters ever had. And still has. They did a lot of good work, back in the days", Neo nodded.  
"So, you guys know any of them personal?", Kiwi asked curious.  
There was a silence for a moment, and Kiwi noticed there was a small tension hanging in the room all of a sudden.  
"Of course, you don't need to answer that question if that's…", but Jax shook his head.  
"I know them. I know Vinnie. Man, this is awkward, but he used to date my sister once…"  
Kiwi's heart skipped a beat. Here we go again. She had the nagging feeling Vinnie's reputation was gonna follow her way longer than she wanted. She had no idea what to say.  
Flash and Neo shared a look, knowing this was a touchy subject for Jax.  
"I eh… I think he used to date a lot of sisters…", Kiwi finally managed to squeeze out.  
The three males looked at her surprised and she gave them a small smile.  
"I know about his reputation. He told me… So, no need to be shy about it."  
"He also told you about Rose?", Jax asked, a sharp tone in his voice. He immediately raised his hands.  
"I'm sorry, it's just…", but he trailed off when he saw the burning gaze from Kiwi.  
"Rose was your sister?"  
"Guess he told her…", Flash mumbled.  
"So, that means you're Carbine's…"  
"...nephew…", Neo finished her sentence before she could.  
"That's right. So, that's the most obvious reason I know Throttle too, since they're dating for like ages now", Jax nodded.  
Kiwi was speechless for a moment.  
"God, Jax, I'm so sorry about Rose... ", she eventually said softly.  
"Yeah well… Listen, I'm only gonna say this once, but you need to watch yourself, Kiwi. I like you. Not in a mushy, romantic way, but in the short time I know you now, you've proved yourself to be a sweet and smart girl. Just… be careful, okay? He's a… well, I just don't want you to end up like Rose…"  
Kiwi let out her breath. They had no idea. They would never believe her if she was gonna tell them this was different. But what choice did she have?  
"It's different… We eh… we're connected", she suddenly blurted out.  
Smooth. Subtle.  
The three males breathed in sharply.  
Ah, so _that_ meant something here. Maybe they were gonna believe her now.  
Kiwi lay a hand on Jax his shoulder.  
"Talk to Carbine. She knows the whole story. Ask her. It will give you some peace."  
Jax stared at her for a moment, but then slowly nodded.  
"Okay… I'll do that…"  
Kiwi took a deep breath.  
"Well, guess I'm gonna make that call now…"

" _Hello?"  
_ Kiwi relaxed a little. At least their hard work paid off and thank the mothers of Mars, he picked up the phone. She leaned back in her chair, giving her three male colleagues a nervous look, but they all smiled at her to encourage her.  
Here goes nothing.  
"Hey Chaz, it's me… Kiwi…"  
They all heard him breathe in sharply, it echoed against the walls since he was on speaker.  
" _Kiwi? What… why are you calling me?"  
_ His voice sounded a little surprised. But also suspicious. She couldn't blame him.  
"I eh… I need answers…"  
" _I can't give you answers! I've gotta go now…"  
_ "No!", Kiwi called out, but then closed her eyes for a moment and continued, a little bit calmer. "No. Please, Chaz… Don't hang up on me…"  
A long silence, the soft noise of his breathing and the green light on the device they were using to make the call were the only signs he was still there.  
" _Where are you?"_ , he eventually asked.  
"Are you gonna believe me when I tell ya I'm on Mars?", Kiwi chuckled, trying to keep the conversation lightly.  
The soft chuckle in return made clear it worked.  
" _If you asked me this a few months ago, I would've said no… but after everything that happened… You really are on Mars?"  
_ "Yeah. It was the only place to go after… well, ya know…"  
Chaz sighed.  
" _Look, Kiwi… I… I'm sorry. This whole thing… "  
_ "You wanna make things right? Then, please… tell me why you did this. Tell me everything. I know there's more to it..."  
Another silence. The three mice and Kiwi were staring at the device as if they could stare the answers outta it.  
" _Okay… Okay… I think I owe you that... "  
_ "You kinda do…", Kiwi said softly, but friendly.  
This was going way smoother than she could've dreamed off. Hearing his voice, hearing the emotions hidden behind it, made it a lot more easy for her to keep her calm. He was, after all, once a very good friend of hers.  
" _It all started months ago, when my step dad asked me if I could do a favor for him. You should know that he's a cop… He's working for a unit that's called Special Crimes. Sometimes I help him out with missions, mostly hacking jobs. This one was different. He needed me to go undercover, to help them on a mission that had something to do with interplanetary intruders. I laughed at him the first time he asked, thought he'd lost his mind. But then he mentioned your name. That triggered my interest. That was also the reason he asked me, because I knew you. You trusted me."  
_ Kiwi was listening almost breathless. Months ago… this whole thing had been in progress all this time and they had no idea…  
"How did you step dad find out about the mice?"  
" _A woman called Flo Barker told the police a very interesting story. I think that name must ring any bells?"  
_ "Oh, they ring alright…", Kiwi sighed.  
" _Well, she wasn't the first one. The police first didn't believe it, but after a few incidents, mainly with Limburger Tower crumbling into dust once in a while, they looked further into it and that's when my step dad got the case. The further he digged, the more strange things popped up. Like tire prints with a profile that was never seen before on this planet. Shrapnels made from a_ _unidentifiable_ _material. Holes in buildings, made by lasers that didn't exist in their opinion, but the holes were there… The big boss from a secret department of the government, Blaze Ross, was found dead and they discovered small hairs on the crime scene, also_ _unidentifiable_ _… "  
_ Kiwi closed her eyes. Jesus… All this time… All this time they thought they'd got away with everything.  
But apparently, they didn't. Fucking hell, obviously they didn't.  
" _Eventually, the trace led to you. It was my job to find out what the hell was going on at your place. So, meeting you in that supermarket wasn't really a… coincidence…"  
_ Kiwi was speechless, so Chaz continued.  
" _The bruises on your arm gave me the perfect opportunity. To play the meddling ex boyfriend. Although I've gotta admit, I was worried about you. And when I met the mice, I knew my worry wasn't uncalled for…"  
_ "Can we please just stay with the facts? Please?", Kiwi managed to bring out.  
" _Eh, yeah, fine… I guess… Anyway, right after we met in the supermarket, I walked to my car, and suddenly, the famous Lawrence Limburger was standing in front of me…"  
_ They all sat upright. Now things were gonna get real interesting.  
" _He'd figured out what I was up to. He offered me a chance. Well, truth to be told, he offered me a lot of money. The only thing I needed to do was collect evidence and tell everyone. Not just the police, no, but anyone who mattered in the USA. I rejected his offer. But he insisted. Threatened to hurt you. My mom. My step dad. Anyone I cared about, actually…"  
_ "But… why? Why did he want you to sell them out that badly?", Kiwi asked confused. This didn't make any sense.  
" _I dunno… All I know he was desperate. Seemed to me his sorry ass was on the line. Anyway, the night I left your house, ya know, when that brown mouse with the funky glasses erased my memory, he apparently took me with him and that weird dokter of him, what's his name, Garfunkle...?"  
_ "Karbunkle…", Kiwi said toneless.  
" _Right. He brought back my memory. I needed a few days to recover from that, and after that, I set the whole thing in motion. I had no choice. I couldn't tell you what was going on, the life of my family was on the line. God, what a mess…"  
_ His voice broke. Kiwi felt tears burning behind her eyes.  
Jesus. He should've told them. He should've trusted them. The mice would've find a way to turn this around. But too late for that.  
Obviously.  
"Chaz, I'm… Jesus, you should've told me…"  
" _I was scared… I tried to protect you. To take you with me. But my plan backfired and you refused. I called you, that awful day, to get you out before things would get ugly. But again, you refused. And now… now you're on Mars… Jesus, Kiwi, I'm so sorry…"  
_ He was crying now. Kiwi squeezed her eyes and a tear escaped through her lashes. She suddenly felt a warm hand on hers, and she looked up, seeing Jax giving her a sympathetic smile. She smiled back, although sad.  
"Chaz… It's okay. It wasn't your fault. I just wished you should've told me… We could've helped you. The mice are the good guys here… They would've helped you… "  
" _I know… I know now… but I just wasn't sure if I could trust them. The white one scared the shit outta me. Jesus, I still his burning eyes… almost burning a hole in my skull… Besides, do ya really think it makes a difference to those fancy guys in suits who're running this country? Heroes or not, they're aliens… and obviously not welcome."  
_ Kiwi sighed. This whole thing was one huge ass big misunderstanding. And if they all just had talked to each other, this would never have happened. But she couldn't turn back time. Things were the way they were now.  
"Thanks for telling me this… You sure you don't know anything about Limburger? Why he all planned this? Anything?"  
" _No… Like I said, he was desperate. As if he needed to leave this planet as soon as possible, but he somehow needed the mice for his plan… That's all I know…"  
_ "And the police never found out about him before all this? Only about the mice?"  
" _As far as I know, that's correct. If he hadn't interfered with this whole thing himself, we wouldn't have known…"  
_ "Okay. Take care, Chaz."  
" _So, this is it? You're never coming back?"  
_ His voice was shaky.  
"No, Chaz. I'm never coming back. My place is here now. The mice are my family now. Mars is my home now…"  
Jax, Flash and Neo shared a look. To hear a human, someone from a entirely different species, say this, was… well, it made her special.  
She cared. A lot.  
Nobody forced her to. But she did. Care.  
" _Okay… Well, guess this is a final goodbye then…"  
_ "Guess it is… Hey, Chaz? Can you do something for me?"  
" _Anything…"  
_ "You know Ruby, right? Please, tell her I'm okay. That I'm with the mice, on Mars. Tell her… tell her that I love her and I'll never forget about her... "  
Kiwi broke. Tears streamed down her face. In all the fuss she'd forgotten about Ruby. But she now realized she was never gonna see her again. And that broke her heart.  
" _I will. Take care, Kiwi. May we meet again…"  
_ "May we meet again…", Kiwi sobbed and broke the connection.

She took a few deep breaths to grab herself together. After wiping off her face, she looked at the three male mice next to her, who looked back slightly uncomfortable, as if they had no clue how to handle a crying woman. They probably didn't. Men...  
"We need to find everything we can about Limburger's financial situation. I've got me a feeling deep down this is, as always, all about money. So, only one thing to do then… follow the money."

* * *

So, Limburger's plan slowly reveals.  
And what is it with Stoker? Does he has a thing for Kiwi?  
That sure would complicate things.  
At least Kiwi has made some friends. Alone is just so alone.

Feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading my story.  
Till next time, guys!


	53. Chapter 52

Yo yo.

Thanks for the reviews.

 **SpaceFlora** ; Thanks for your kind words. It really is funny to see the differences, that makes it so much fun to read your story and to write mine. Also loved to write the 'man cave' scene, it was funny and heartwarming at the same time. Thanks for being such a loyal reader and reviewer, really, it means a lot to me.  
 **Wolftattoo** ; I know, right. The drama, haha. Thanks for your support!  
 **Ladydaisys** ; thank you so much for your support.  
 **Youkaii** : Thanks for your review! But really, is my English that bad it's now hard to follow all of a sudden? And here I was, thinking it was still approving. Look, I don't mind you telling me something that's wrong with my story, but I've gotta admit… you make it sound like I wrote the last two chapters in Chinese or something. And no, I won't give up. To be honest, it crossed my mind when I read your review, but I was having a bad day, so it maybe made more impact than it usually would, I guess. But maybe you can be a little bit more specific next time, so I know what you mean. So I can learn from it. This came a little unexpectedly...

 **To all of you out there** ;  
I just wanna make clear English ain't my first language. Most of you know that already. So, I'm simply not capable of writing my story in perfect and flawless English. Damn, I wish I could. I'm doing my best to learn, to improve, but still, English is indeed a bitch to learn.  
Anyway, I just hope it's good enough for you, at least good enough to be able to follow the story...

Well, onto the next chapter. I just needed this to get off my chest first.  
This chapter is a bit intense, sorry.

* * *

 **Chapter fifty two**

Kiwi was sitting in her room, deep in thoughts. They had worked the whole day, trying to find something that made this whole story about Limburger complete, searching for the last pieces of the puzzle, but so far no luck. They eventually called it a day, mostly because tonight was the night Kiwi was gonna take her oath.  
The human girl had no idea what to expect, and it felt somehow unimportant right now. A waste of time. Figure out what Limburger was up to was prio number one, right? But Neo told her it sometimes was real easy to lose yourself in this war. Friends, family, it was easy to take that for granted. To let your thoughts being controlled by this war. Spending time with the people around you, with the people you loved it was way more important. Taking a oath apparently was too. But Kiwi realized he was right. Carbine had lost herself in this war, it had cost her her relationship with Throttle back then. Being devoted was good, but till a certain level. No need to exaggerate. And Carbine was just lucky Throttle was a rather forgiving mouse.  
And now, the most important and burning question at this moment...  
What in the world did you wear when you were gonna take a oath, a life bonding commitment to a planet?  
Kiwi had no idea… So, she decided to keep on the clothes she was already wearing. She rose on her feet and stopped at the mirror to look at herself for a moment. A determined face looked back. And she smiled.  
Yeah. She was ready. Time to make things official.  
Oh, if only she knew this night was gonna be one big disaster...

When she walked into the Main Hall, she stopped death in her tracks. Apparently, after dinner, the whole room was redecorated, and the whole population living on this base was now sitting on the chairs that were standing in rows. In the front, where they normally collected their meal, was now standing a small stage.  
Oh dear… nobody ever told her that the whole base was gonna witness her taking her oath. This was bad. She still didn't feel very welcome here, since most of the mice still only stared at her, or whispered behind her back. Everybody now knew she was with Vinnie, and oh boy, the drama… Most of the female's were clearly having a hard time with Vinnie being taken, and worse, that their precious mouse hunk was now taken by a human girl.  
A alien.

 _What does she have what I don't?_

She could almost hear them think it. She saw it in their eyes when she walked by. Kiwi never really was good in handling jealousy. It wasn't the first time a guy gave her the attention when it was obvious someone else wanted it. Kiwi never asked for it. Maybe that was the difference. She was just being herself. Nothing more, nothing less. Apparently, guys liked that about her. Ugh…  
And now, she needed to stand there, in front of the whole base… She wasn't sure if she was ready for this… Okay, lemme rephrase that; she wasn't ready. At all.

Suddenly, a white tail snaked around her leg and she felt a strong arm around her shoulders. A familiar scent filled her nose and she closed her eyes, letting out her breath.  
"Relax, sweetheart. It will be over before you know it", his low voice whispered in her ear and he pressed a kiss against her temple, pulling her closer to him.  
"No biggie, huh? I assume you just forgot to tell me about this minor detail? Ya know, that practically the whole base is gonna witness this?", she hissed at him, her eyes still locked on the crowd.  
"Obviously."  
Kiwi sighed and turned around to look at him.  
"Vinnie, I can't do this, this is… this is too much, I…", but Vinnie cupped her head in his hands.  
"Stop doubting yourself, babe. It's crazy how good you are in underestimating yourself…You have so much to offer... Why can't you see that?"  
Kiwi bit her lower lip, her heart pounding in her chest. But Vinnie pulled her in a tight hug and suddenly, she felt calmth washing over her. This whole connection thing, it was amazing. She closed her eyes and buried her nose in his fur, sniffing up his lovely scent. Gosh, she loved him so much.  
"Ready, beautiful?", she suddenly heard next to her while feeling a hand on her shoulder.  
She felt Vinnie tense at the same time and she made herself loose. Stoker was standing next to her, giving her a reassuring smile.  
"I eh.. I guess?", Kiwi stumbled, looking from Vinnie to Stoker and back. Her macho mouse wasn't amused, she could tell. What the hell was going on between these two? Was Vinnie seeing his coach as a threat? That would be more than ridiculous, since he knew she was with him and she would never, ever leave him for someone else. He knew, right?  
Did he?  
Of course he knew. But something was going on here, alright. She opened her mouth, but Stoker shot her a flirtatious grin and hurled an arm over her shoulders, guiding her towards the stage. She looked over her shoulder to see Vinnie was still standing at the same spot, his arms crossed before his chest, glaring at the back of the brown furred mouse that was holding her. She wanted to say something, to make herself loose and go back to him, to ask him what was wrong, but Stoker was already leading her up on the stage.  
No, she wasn't ready, she needed to talk to Vinnie...  
But when she saw the whole crowd looking at her, felt the burning gazes, Vinnie was suddenly forgotten. Everything was suddenly forgotten.  
Shit.  
Stoker cleared his throat.  
"Welcome y'all. We're gathered tonight to welcome another soldier…"  
She felt he was still holding her hand. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she casually pulled back her hand and put it in her pocket.  
Sweat was starting to form on her forehead and breathing suddenly became somehow difficult. Panic was lying around the corner, and she knew she was close to losing it. She took a few deep breaths, but it was no use.  
The mice in the crowd whispered to each other, some of them were chuckling, some of them were even pointing at her, something that was completely unnecessary, because it was obvious she was the one who was the alien now and everybody here knew that already…  
She couldn't hear what they were saying. But she felt like a clown.  
No, worse, she felt like a animal in the zoo.  
A attraction. Not a person, not a human being with feelings, no, a thing...  
Fuck…  
Maybe she should've told them she wasn't good with being the center of attention… This was too soon and too much. Her eyes flew from left to right, searching for the only one who could calm her nerves, but she couldn't find him.  
Stoker was still talking to the crowd, completely clueless about the struggle that the human girl, that was standing next to him, had at this very moment.  
His voice started to fade, until it only echoed in her head.  
She needed to get the hell outta here.  
Away from the burning gazes.  
The laughter.  
The whispers.  
She stumbled back, but Stoker grabbed her arm to stop her.  
"Beautiful, you okay?", he asked worried when he saw the look on her face.  
Her skin was almost gray, her eyes were wide open and her breathing was shallow.  
"Kiwi…"  
His voice gave away urgence now, but she couldn't answer. Her legs couldn't hold her weight anymore and she fell on her knees.  
Dammit. She should've eaten more than she did today.  
The room started to fade away and the last thing she noticed, was a familiar scent and warm, strong arms wrapping around her body before her head touched the ground. Then, the whole world became black.

 _Five minutes earlier...  
_ Vinnie was staring at the back of Stoker when he was guiding Kiwi to the stage. His blood was boiling. He'd seen the look on the brown furred mouse his face. It was all too familiar. It brought back memories which he was so badly trying to forget.  
Harley…  
God, this whole thing just kept haunting him. He knew how deeply Stoker cared about the light brown furred mouse that disappeared to be never seen again. Vinnie could still picture the look on his face when Harley picked him, instead of Stoker.  
And now, his coach, his mentor, had the same look on his face when he looked at Kiwi. Vinnie knew Stoker was a flirt. Always have been. Most of the time, he didn't mean anything with it. So, it wasn't the flirting that made him this upset. It was the combination. The flirting and the way he looked at Kiwi that brought back so many feelings that were all too familiar.  
And all he could think was; ah man, not again…  
He respected Stoker. Really, he did. The guy had giving him more opportunities than he maybe deserved. He knew he wasn't the most easy mouse to hang out with. Especially back then… But Stoker somehow believed in him and if wasn't for him having that faith, he wouldn't be where he was right now.  
But this… this whole thing with Kiwi was crossing a line.  
She was his. From him and him alone.  
Somewhere deep down, he knew he had to let this go, because Kiwi would never leave him. He trusted her, he didn't doubt her love for him. But there was always that nagging feeling of insecurity. What if he wasn't good enough for her? He was so scared of losing her, it was almost ridiculous. They were connected. That meant something, he knew it did.  
But still…  
Losing Harley had left its scars on his soul. His already cracked soul. He couldn't protect her. He wasn't good enough to keep her safe. I mean, the girl practically vanished right under his nose. Talk about failure to the max.  
What if something similar happened with Kiwi?  
Dammit.  
This whole situation with Stoker brought back feelings he had locked away for so long. Being back home, back on Mars, well… Kiwi wasn't the only one who was having a hard time with it. He was just less… obvious about it. The fear of losing another loved one. The insecurity of being good enough…  
Yeah, even Vinnie van Wham was insecure. Luckily, he was good enough to hide it.  
Unknown to Vinnie was that the people around him knew him way better than he thought. And they all knew that the white furred mouse wasn't always that self assured as he most of the time pretended to be. But they would never say it out loud.

"Beautiful, you okay?"  
Vinnie's ears picked up the slight urgent tone in Stoker's voice and it broke him outta his thoughts immediately. He looked up and saw Kiwi standing on the stage, frozen like a statue, her eyes wide open, her skin paler than pale…  
Oh.  
He knew that look. And he knew what was next.  
Vinnie came into movement and rushed towards the stage, pushing everybody away that was in his way. He hardly heard the outraged responses because of his rough treatment. Kiwi needed him. That was all that mattered now.  
When he was close, he saw her falling on her knees. He took a run and almost dived on the stage.  
Right on time.  
Right before she completely collapsed, he caught her. He saw her eyes rolling back and her whole body became limp.  
The stress had, obviously, become too much for her.  
Stoker kneeled down next to them, a hand on Kiwi's shoulder.  
"Is she okay?", he asked worried.  
"She will be", Vinnie answered shortly, while standing up with the motionless body of his girl in his arms.  
There was a deadly silence and everybody stared at the stage.  
"What are you guys looking at!?", Vinnie snapped and everybody lowered their eyes.  
Suddenly, Throttle popped up next to him.  
"Come on, bro, let's take her to a place that's a little bit more private."

Kiwi moaned and slowly opened her eyes.  
"Hey beautiful, welcome back to the land of the living!"  
She turned her head and saw a blurry vision of Stoker who was kneeling beside her, relief clearly visible in his eyes.  
After blinking a few times, her vision became sharp and a pounding headache made its way to her temples.  
"Thanks… I guess…", she groaned and slowly got upright. She looked around her and concluded this had to be the infirmary. The hospital beds were the biggest clue. But it was completely deserted.  
"You sure got me scared back there, what happened?", the leader asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear tenderly.  
"I eh… I'm not that good with being the center of the attention…"  
"You should've told me…"  
His voice was a few tones lower now.  
"Where is Vinnie?", she blurted out.  
Maybe she imagined it, but she saw a flash of pain in Stoker's eyes when she asked for her macho mouse. But come on, what did he expect? She only knew him for one day. Sure, he was nice to her.  
A little too nice, if you asked her.  
"Carbine needed to talk to him, Throttle and Modo. Do you want me to get him?"  
Kiwi sighed and shook her head. No need to interfere with something that may be more important than her sorry ass.  
Gosh, she just fainted in front of the whole base.  
Great. Just great.  
"So far being ready to take my oath…", she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed now. "They all must think I'm crazy now…"  
"Don't beat yourself too hard, pretty lady. Maybe this was a little bit too soon…"  
"Maybe…"  
"Ya know, you have this fire inside of ya that makes it easy to forget you've just abandoned your home planet to start a new life on a unfamiliar planet with a completely different species. I don't think it helps that that particular species is in war with another different species. I think we've put ya under too much pressure..."  
"Ya think?", Kiwi responded dryly.  
Stoker looked her in the eye.  
"You remind me of someone, ya know… She had the same fire as you…"  
Kiwi swallowed, feeling slightly uncomfortable now. But curious at the same time.  
"Is she…"  
"She went missing years ago. Never heard from her again…"  
It suddenly hit Kiwi as if she got strucked by lighting.  
"You ain't talking about Harley, now are ya?"  
His head jerked up and his eyes were wide in surprise.  
"You know about her?"  
But then his face darkened.  
"Off course ya do... "  
"Throttle told me about her… But I never knew… I eh… Well, I thought she was with… Vinnie…", she stuttered.  
Well, this was awkward.  
"She was. She picked him over me. Busted my ego more than I ever admitted…"  
Kiwi saw it in his eyes. The pain. The regret.  
"But that doesn't mean you stopped caring…", she whispered.  
"I just wanted her to be happy, ya know? So, I did a step back. But look where that got me…"  
The conversation was taking a turn she didn't want it to take. But there was nothing she could do to stop it.  
Stoker slowly raised his hand and touched her cheek.  
Kiwi turned her head away.  
"Stoker, I…", but he lay a finger on her lips.  
"Sssshh…"  
He gently took her hand.  
"You don't have to say anything, beautiful. I know where I'm standing… But maybe, I don't wanna take a step back this time. Maybe, this time, I'm gonna fight for it…"  
"That's not gonna stop me from loving Vinnie... ", Kiwi whispered.  
"Maybe… maybe not… Maybe you'll see I have so much more to offer than him…"

" _Have you_?"

Vinnie's voice.  
Low. Cold. Shaky.  
Stoker sighed and slowly rose on his feet, letting go off Kiwi's hand with reluctance.  
Kiwi looked up and saw Vinnie standing close by, clearly upset. Throttle and Modo just walked in and froze when they saw what was going on here.  
"I think I do…", Stoker answered.  
"Why don't you just find your own girl this time, coach? Instead of chasing mine…", Vinnie growled, his fur bristled and the tip of his tail twitching.  
He suddenly did a step forward and gave Stoker a hard push. The brown mouse stumbled back, but remained on his feet.  
"Wow, wow, wow, easy now, Vincent", Throttle intervened and lay a hand on the shoulder of his white furred bro, now standing between him and Stoker. "I'm sure we can talk about this without blowing up the whole base…"  
"I'm not sure we can…"  
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, giving Stoker a deadly glare. Hearing Stoker telling Kiwi he maybe had more to offer, was hitting the sore spot. Like a nail that got hammered right down in his insecurity. It hurt his feelings, actually… He just had said the one thing that could hit him straight in the heart. And it did.  
But as usual, instead of just telling Stoker calmly what this was doing to his feelings, he got angry. Very angry. Anger was safer than pain. His way of dealing with things. Next to blowing up things, that is.  
There was a silence. A long, uncomfortable silence.  
Stoker decided to come clean.  
"Look, punk, I don't wanna steal your girl from right under your nose. But we all know you. We all know your reputation. We all know you're not capable of giving a girl what she needs… Harley is the prove of that."

BAM.

He might as well have dropped a bomb.  
Throttle, Modo and Kiwi stared at Stoker with their mouth open, completely in shock. Kiwi's heart started to pound and she clenched her fists. Like everyone on this base, Stoker had no idea. God dammit, everybody thought she was just one of Vinnie's rebound girls, but it was so much more.  
Dammit!  
Stoker let out his breath, suddenly realizing what he just had said. That came out wrong. But this was something that was simmering inside of him for a very long time now. He'd never said it out loud, but he was kinda holding Vinnie responsible for the fact the girl was taken away while he was standing just inches away from her.  
"Oh momma… Coach, I can't believe you've just said that…", Modo breathed.  
Vinnie was staring at Stoker, at first his eyes wide open, but then he narrowed them. His ears drooped, sadness almost washed him away, along with the guilt, but there was also so much anger. But he had absolutely no idea what to say. He blacked out. That was new…  
Instead of exploding, he imploded. Weird. Dangerous too.  
Stoker saw it and he felt a pang of regret. But no turning back now.  
"The punk here isn't the only one who has lost her, Modo my mouse… And I'm just telling it like is… So yeah, I do believe I have more to offer..."  
Kiwi had it and she jumped off the bed.  
"I'm sick and tired of everybody saying I don't mean anything to Vinnie! That I'm just one of his rebound girls, used as a goddamn sex toy!"  
She walked straight towards Stoker and planted her finger against his chest.  
"I like you. I respect you. But you're crossing a line here. I would never leave Vinnie, never! He's my soulmate. My home. He's the reason I came here. I don't know what happened in the past, I don't care about his fucking reputation, because things are different now. Sometimes, people do chance, ya know? They just have to meet the right person. He saved me. We switched earrings. We're even fucking _connected_!"  
She was breathing heavily and saw the shock in Stoker's eyes. Clearly he wasn't aware of these facts.  
"Oh, you didn't know, right? Maybe if you just asked, you would've known! But just like everyone else on this base, you drew your own conclusions. But you couldn't be more wrong!"  
And after giving Stoker one more glare, she stormed outta the room, leaving the males behind to fight their fight. She wasn't gonna witness that. Fucking men and their testosterone, fighting over girls as if they were nothing more than a fucking lottery ticket.  
Ugh. She was done. Done with all this.

Kiwi was back in her room for only a few minutes, when the door opened again. She turned around, seeing Vinnie storm inside, his eyes burning. Her stomach dropped when he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, his hand around her throat. He was breathing heavily, his teeth were clenched and his eyes… jesus, his eyes. They were black. He was upset. Very upset.  
She couldn't actually blame him. But he almost scared her. But at the same time, it fired her whole body with desire.  
He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her roughly while his fingers squeezed around her neck.  
She kissed him back, but it was hard to keep up with him.  
He wildly broke off the kiss, let go off her throat and grabbed her head with both hands, his fingers in her hair.  
"You're mine, you hear me? Mine, and mine alone…", he said softly between clenched teeth, his voice so low it sounded more like a growl.  
Kiwi swallowed and nodded, as far as he let her.  
He kissed her again, his teeth cut her lip open and he stopped. His eyes were fixed on her lower lip, seeing the blood dripping out.  
Suddenly and completely out of nowhere, he rammed his fist against the wall next to her head and Kiwi flinched while squeezing her eyes.  
Jesus...  
"God dammit, I can't do this, not now, I'm gonna hurt ya…", he managed to bring out, still holding her head with his other hand.  
Kiwi let out her breath. They had been here before. Many times already. He always stopped to protect her. But she was tired of being protected.  
This time, this was gonna happen.  
"Don't stop…", she whispered with a shaky voice, her body shivering.  
Vinnie looked at her with his burning eyes, breathing between clenched teeth. His whole body was tensed. His tail lashed through the air.  
"Sweetheart, you don't know what you're saying, don't… _don't_ encourage me, because I'm _this_ close to losing control and if I do…"  
Kiwi slowly raised one hand and lay it against his cheek.  
"I want you…"  
"Kiwi…", he warned her with that low voice.  
She didn't burdge. She wanted him. She wanted him to lose control. _Really_ lose control this time.  
Her hand slowly slid down and ended on his chest. She felt his heart racing.  
"Take me…"  
Vinnie let her go while shaking his head.  
"Kiwi, _stop_ pushing me…"  
He tried to create some distance, but Kiwi wouldn't let him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.  
"Vincent... "

He snapped. Finally, he snapped.  
A low growl vibrated in his chest when one hand grabbed her throat again and he kissed her wildly, while his other hand ripped off her clothes in one movement. Then, he lifted her and literally threw her on the bed. After kicking out his pants, he looked down on her. Kiwi bit her lower lip, her heart pounding in her chest.  
Jesus, he looked… dangerous. And sexy like never before. But dangerous.  
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...  
He leaned forward and turned her on her back. His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her lower body up, his fingers almost cutting in her flesh.  
Kiwi held in her breath when a bittersweet pain jolted through her body when he pushed himself roughly inside of her. One hand grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, the pain his rough treatment caused followed her spine to all the way down and a scream escaped her mouth. But he didn't stop. He moved fast, rough…  
Jesus.  
Her fingers clenched around the blankets, she squeezed her eyes, tears burning behind them. But she still didn't told him to stop.  
Because she was somehow scared he wouldn't listen. What if he wouldn't listen?

Vinnie pulled back and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist in reflex and he pushed her against the wall again, making his way inside of her at the same time. The look on his face took her breath away. She'd never seen him like this. Never. His nose was a little wrinkled, his teeth still clenched but it was the look in his eyes that took her completely off guard.  
Pain.  
Pain was clearly whirling in his narrowed eyes, and he didn't look at her. Well, he did, but he didn't seem to see her. He kept moving while leaning forward and bit in her neck, multiple times. Tears jumped in her eyes when she felt his teeth cut through her skin.  
Yep. Clearly, this was a bad idea.  
He pushed them off of the wall and in one movement they were lying on the bed again. He was on top of her now, leaning on his hands while holding her legs up with his arms. His lower body rammed against hers, over and over again.  
Kiwi closed her eyes. Tears escaped through her lashes and streamed down her face.  
A growl escaped his lips, made its way out between his clenched teeth when he finally reached his peak. His whole body trembled and he bit his lower lip to keep the raw scream inside. The intense feeling almost washed him away and it cost him all his strength to hold himself up.

Kiwi slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. Jesus, no wonder he always protected her for this. This was… too much… Way too much. Her body couldn't handle this. Everything down there felt bruised, her neck was on fire and the skin on her head was burning… A sharp pain in her lower abdomen made her breathe shallow.  
Dammit.  
Pushing him over the edge was stupid, alright. She knew now. Jesus, what had she done? He was gonna blame himself for this...  
Vinnie had his eyes closed, still leaning on his hands. His whole body was shaking and it almost felt as if he was gonna faint. But it slowly faded, taking the pain with it.  
When he finally opened his eyes and saw the shocked look on Kiwi's face, the blood in her neck, the bruises that were already visible… it was like reality slapped him in the face.  
Jesus. He'd promised himself to never lose control like that again. And most certainly not with Kiwi. But he did.  
Fuck. His poor little girl… Her body was way too fragile for this. Even for a Martian Mouse, this could be intense. But for her… Fuck.  
He quickly pushed himself up and away from her in one movement.  
"Jesus, sweetheart, I'm… I…", he stumbled. He gave up, quickly grabbed a blanket and gave it to her, so she could cover her body.  
She took it without saying a word and crawled under it, tears in her eyes. There was a deep cut in her now trembling lower lip.  
Vinnie cursed under his breath and put on his pants.  
Then, he sat down on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed the hair outta Kiwi's face.  
"I'm so, so sorry... that wasn't supposed to happen…", he whispered, his voice hoarse. Thick of emotion.  
Kiwi gently took his hand.  
"You warned me… I pushed you too far…"  
"No. This ain't your fault, sweetheart. I should've walked away. Blow off some steam. Fuck, this is… This is the exact thing I was trying to protect you for this whole time… You always kept pushing me, but I never lost control before with you… There's no excuse…" and his fingers slid over the bruised skin in her neck.  
"Vin, it's okay. This ain't your fault either. We were both wrong, okay?"  
"But look at you…"  
"Vincent, stop. This is nothing that won't heal. I'm fine, I'm just… startled, I guess…"  
"You should be.. Kiwi, I'm…"  
He had no idea what to say. Speechless again, for the second time this day.  
This day wasn't going very well.  
Kiwi slowly got upright, squeezing her eyes because of the pain in her body. She stretched her arms and pulled him against her.  
"Vin, please… Stoker said some very disturbing things, it's no surprise you're upset… And I pushed you too far. I just had no idea it would be like… this. I know now, okay? I promise you this will never happen again. I'll never push you again…"  
But Vinnie shook his head and pulled back, a wild look in his eyes.  
"No, this.. I… Fuck me, I need some time. To clear my head, I…"  
He walked backwards to the door and Kiwi slid off the bed.  
"Vinnie, please don't…"  
But the white furred mouse turned around and stormed out.  
"...leave me…", Kiwi finished her sentence while dropping on the bed again.  
Jesus, how was it even possible things got outta control this fast? This day, she had the feeling things were taking the right turn. She'd made some friends, found some important clues about Limburger's plan and now…  
She lay down and grabbed her pillow.  
Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all…

"So, they're connected, huh?", Stoker asked Throttle. They were still sitting on the bed's in the infirmary, that was still deserted.  
"Yeah… It really is different this time, Stoke…"  
"I tried to tell ya, yesterday", Modo added.  
"I should've listened... ", Stoker sighed, running a hand through his hair.  
"Look, I had the same doubts at the beginning, so don't beat yourself up too hard for that, Stoke. But telling Vinnie it was his fault Harley got kidnapped, well… That's just harsh. We both know there was nothing he could've done to stop it… to stop Mace", Throttle said.  
Stoker shrugged.  
"Rationally, I know. Really, I do… But emotions can be cruel sometimes... Makes ya think bad things… and makes ya _say_ bad things… Ah man, me and my big mouth…"  
"He'll come around, coach", Modo said, but he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.  
"She reminds me so much of Harley, I just… I've let my emotions got the best of me… Stupid. As if she would pick me over that white furred loudmouth. What was I thinking?"  
The pain was clearly hearable in his voice. Losing Harley had cost him more than he ever dared to admit. But Kiwi brought it all back.  
"I think no one can blame ya for that…", Throttle mumbled.  
Jesus, what a mess… Bringing Kiwi with them caused more troubles than he'd thought in the first place.  
It apparently brought back memories everybody was trying to forget.

He was just wondering where Vinnie went after he'd stormed outta the room, when he saw Kiwi stumble inside.  
His eyes grew big when he saw the bruises in her neck and he jumped at his feet.  
"Kiwi, you okay?", he asked urgently and Modo and Stoker looked up by hearing it.  
Kiwi shook her head, walking straight towards Throttle and threw herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her while she burst into tears.  
"Hey, hey, easy now…", he whispered and he rubbed her back.  
He looked down on her and saw the wounds in her neck, fresh and still bleeding. His stomach dropped. He suddenly had the nagging feeling what this was all about.  
He gently made himself loose and kneeled down in front of her. He lifted her chin and she looked at him, her blue eyes watery, and his gaze landed on the deep cut in her lip.  
"What happened, Kiwi?"  
Kiwi softly shook her head, her eyes flew towards Stoker.  
The brown furred mouse saw it happen and immediately rose on his feet.  
"I'll leave ya guys to it", and he left the room.

Throttle guided Kiwi towards a bed and gestured to her to sit down. He grabbed a chair and Modo did the same. They both took place across Kiwi, who was holding herself while silent tears streamed down her face.  
Modo's tail wrapped around her ankle, gently, to let her know they were here for her.  
Throttle took a deep breath.  
"Kiwi, you need to tell us what happened…"  
The human girl looked back at him, agony on her face.  
"I… I can't, you… it wasn't his fault, I... ", she stuttered.  
Modo jerked upright, his eye glowing red. But before he could say something, Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder to stop him from saying something that wasn't gonna help at this point.  
Kiwi made a attempt get off the bed, disappointment written on her face.  
"Never mind, you guys won't understand, you'll get angry… judge him", but Throttle gently pushed her back.  
"I promise you we won't."  
His voice was calm.  
As always, when the world stopped spinning, there was Throttle. Calm. Wise.  
Willing to look at things from different angles.  
Modo relaxed and nodded at Kiwi.  
"Sorry, Kiwi ma'am. I'll try to keep my cool. It's just… the thought alone someone hurt ya…"  
"It wasn't like that…", she whispered.  
"Did Vinnie do this to you?", Throttle asked.  
Kiwi hesitated, but then nodded.  
Throttle's heart skipped a beat. This was new.  
"Did he do this without your permission?"  
God, say no. Please, say no…  
"No…"  
Thank the mothers of Mars and halleluja.  
"What happened, Kiwi?"  
Kiwi wiggled on the bed, obviously not at ease.  
"I… I think I wanna go home…"

Vinnie pushed his bike to the limits, using the scanner to avoid the boobytraps. Even if he was upset, he was thinking clear enough to know that being caught by rats wasn't his way of having a good time. Not that he was capable of having a good time now.  
Jesus, he fucked up, big time.  
 _Stop_ thinking! Just… drive.  
He fired his jets and his bike sped forward, leaving a cloud of dust behind.  
It was cold. He only wore a T-shirt with his sleeveless hoodie and that wasn't enough to keep him warm at this time at night. But he couldn't care less. Exactly what he needed.  
A cold shower. So to speak.  
The scanner beeped and he looked down. Another boobytrap. Without thinking, he pushed a button on his bike and the cannons popped out. Without slowing down, he locked target and fired. When the missile left his bike, he threw his weight to the right to avoid he was gonna get caught up in his own explosion. That would be something.  
The explosion was deafening and Vinnie could feel the flames lick his fur when he past. The heat was immense and Vinnie's lips curled into a smile when he made it out just in time.  
Right on. Adrenaline suddenly streamed through his veins. Maybe he was capable of having a good time after all.  
"AAAAOOWW! Vinnie van Victory triumphs again!"  
His scanner beeped again and Vinnie popped a wheelie in excitement. Who needed bad guys when there were boobytraps to project your frustration on?  
He fired again and this time, he pulled back his handlebars and flew over the trap, right when his missile exploded. He could smell the burning rubber of his tires and he took a deep breath. His bike wobbled when he landed, but he was already on his way to the next trap.  
Suddenly, a laser hit the ground next to his front tire and he looked in his mirror.  
A grin almost split his face in half. Just the thing he needed to clear his head. A good fight.  
Everything that was bothering him, every emotion, every thought, it all faded till there was only adrenaline and a healthy portion of determination left.  
"Hey fellas, right on time!" and he turned his bike towards the rats.  
He soon realized it were Limburger's goons. His new goons, that is.  
One; because they were driving those ridiculous trikes, the same he'd seen earlier this day when they'd tried to catch Limburger.  
Two; Greasepit was with them.  
Ah. Great. A perfect opportunity to get him some answers about that slimy boss of his.  
"Attack, yous goons!"  
"We tear meeces… to pieces…", one of the rats smiled.  
"Oh yeah? Wonder where I heard that one before…"  
Vinnie quickly counted, but there were only five of them.  
Ha. Not even close to fair odds. In his favor, of course. But now wasn't the time to be picky. He already was lucky enough that for once, he got what he wanted.

The rats attacked the same time Vinnie did. Chaos, panic and disaster followed. Just the way he liked it.  
Soon, Vinnie stopped his bike and opened his visor, looking at the destruction in front of him.  
"Ahhh… Nothing better than the smell of burned rats in the evening…"  
His gaze then landed on Greasepit, who was realizing he needed to get the hell outta here. But he was too late.  
Vinnie was suddenly standing next to him and punched him the face, making him fly off his trike.  
Before he could stand up, the white furred mouse grabbed him by his dungarees and lifted him.  
"Alright, talk fast, oil breath. Why did Limburger plan to go back to Mars and why did he decide to take us with him? I mean, it's not like we're besties…"  
"I-I-I-I don't knows, I…", the oil dripping guy stuttered and Vinnie shook his head with a smile, grabbing his gun with his free hand.  
"But I think you do…", and he pushed the gun under Greasepit's chin.  
"If you wanna keep your brains where they belong, if you even have brains, I suggest to spill it. _Now_ …"  
"O-o-okay, okays, all I knows is that P-P-Plutark was about to find out about his failed m-m-missions on Earth, and if they did, m-m-mister Limboiger was gonna be in big troubles... "  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes.  
Hmmm. It actually did make sense.  
The big cheese needed to save his own sorry ass, so he used them as a free ticket back to Mars. To make it look like this whole thing wasn't his fault, but theirs…  
Smart, Vinnie had to admit that.  
He spinned the gun around his finger and put it back in his holster.  
Greasepit visibly relaxed, but Vinnie wasn't gonna let him get away that easily.  
"Sweet dreams, oil stain", and he knocked the guy out in just one punch.  
He needed to get back to the base. To tell Throttle what he'd learned just now.  
This whole thing did confirm one thing; Limburger was still a treat.

Vinnie jumped on his bike and started the drive back.  
Honestly, wouldn't things be a lot easier if they just planted a bullet between the eyes of that stinkface?  
Maybe.  
But there was probably another villain eager to fulfill his place… And before you knew it, you turned into someone you didn't want to be…  
Reality hit. It literally slapped him the face. For the second time this evening.  
Kiwi.  
Shit… Was she ever gonna forgive him?  
Well, she wasn't even mad at him at the first place, remembering the way she'd reacted.  
Stupid. She had every right to be mad at him. But apparently, she wasn't.  
So, maybe more important at this moment… Was he ever gonna forgive himself?


	54. Chapter 53

Hey y'all.

Thanks for the reviews.

Yeah, Vinnie does got some issues.  
But I think, living in a war.. well, it's gotta do something to ya, right?  
And he's the one who has the most difficulties with expressing how he really feels.

Most of the time, when people are having anger issues, there's a lot of sadness hidden behind it.  
But anger is safer than the pain. The pain is devastating.

And Kiwi needs to fall to learn. She need to make mistakes to learn from them.  
That's just how she is. Well, guess she learned her lesson in this case.. ;)

Anyway, onto the next chapter. I promise ya, it makes up for the previous chapter ;)  
Enjoy. ^^

* * *

 **Chapter fifty three**

"Kiwi, I'm sorry, but you can't go home… It's not safe, not anymore...", Throttle said softly, feeling a pang of guilt by hearing her small voice saying these words.  
He suddenly wished he could go back to the day they found her. If he had known then how much misery there would be in her future because of them, then he would never have asked for her help. But of course, he couldn't go back. He couldn't turn back time. He couldn't protect her from everything that had happened till now, not anymore.  
What he could do, was be there for her now. To make sure things were gonna get better. He would talk to the mice on the base, tell them that it was because of Kiwi they'd found out what Limburger's plan was. That she had saved them, that day on Earth. That she was important. That they should respect her, instead of staring at her as if she was nothing more than just a human body.  
She was so much more.  
He looked at her. Her bruised and wounded skin in her neck. Bloodstains on her shirt. The deep cut in her lip.  
But it was the look in her eyes that broke his heart.  
Dammit.  
He should've paid more attention to her. To make sure she was okay. But she was everything but okay.  
Pain. Loneliness. Regret. Fear.  
It was all there. He could sense her distress alone by sitting near her.  
"Can you please _try_ to tell us what happened, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo broke the tan furred mouse outta his thoughts.  
Throttle could hear the worry in his voice. Along with a hint of suppressed anger.  
No surprise there. If there was one thing that could fire Modo's rage, it was treating women disrespectful.  
Kiwi took a few deep breaths.  
"He was upset. Because of what Stoker had said to him. I pushed him too far. He tried to create distance, he told me he couldn't do it, that he was too upset… It wasn't the first time he said that. I suddenly wanted him to lose control… God, I don't even know why I wanted that. But I did... "  
Her voice was almost toneless. She fiddled with her fingers, her eyes lowered. A faint blush was visible on her face. This was definitely something she didn't want to talk about. Not with them.  
Throttle couldn't blame her. But he was glad she did. This wasn't something she needed to carry alone.  
No need to suffer in silence.  
"He snapped. He literally snapped. It was like he was there, but at the same time, he wasn't. Soon, things got a little… eh… rough, a thing I usually don't have a problem with…", she trailed off, her cheeks burning now.  
But Modo lay his metal hand on her knee.  
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Kiwi ma'am. We would never judge you…"  
"No, but you'll judge Vinnie… That's almost the same, ya know. That feels like you're judging me too…", Kiwi answered while laying her hand on his for a moment.  
"We don't judge. That's just something we ain't do. But you've gotta admit, this… this ain't right…"  
Kiwi sighed.  
"It wasn't just him, okay? We were both wrong. He never did all this…", and she gestured to her body. "...because he _wanted_ to hurt me. He wasn't even aware of what he was doing. After, it was like he woke up. As if he'd been asleep the whole time…"  
"And you didn't ask him to stop?", Throttle asked.  
He had to know exactly what had happened. If Vinnie had crossed a certain line, that meant there would be consequences.  
"No, I didn't. I somehow was scared that if I _did_ ask him, he wouldn't listen…"  
Throttle rubbed his chin. Kiwi noticed the look on his face. His 'leader' look.  
No…  
"Throttle, please, don't be too hard on him, he already told me he was sorry, that it wasn't supposed to happen, he left the room very upset about this whole thing… It was a mistake. From both sides…"  
"He could've killed ya…", Modo said softly, but Kiwi shook her head firmly.  
"No. He would _never_ do that. Not even when… No. Our love is too strong. He's just… a very complicated guy…"  
"Oh momma, that's a understatement", the gray furred giant puffed, leaning back in his chair.  
"Throttle, please…", Kiwi pleaded and the tan furred mouse sighed.  
"Okay, okay. I won't hit him the next time I see him. But I _will_ talk to him."  
"Guess that's fair enough…"

Vinnie parked his bike in the garage.  
He was lucky the guards let him back inside, since he'd almost blown up the frontgate when he left. They weren't amused.  
Hehe. Even he couldn't really blame them.  
He looked at himself in the mouse shaped mirror on his bike and let out his breath. Time to face the music… Ugh.  
Honestly, he could drive into the biggest battles without thinking, without feeling any sort of fear. But walking into that base, knowing he had to face Kiwi after what he had done, well… that was a whole different story.  
So, time to get this over with.  
The white furred mouse jumped off his bike and marched inside, determined to set things straight.  
But suddenly…  
"Hey, Vinnie! Wait up!"  
Ah man… not her again…  
He didn't stop, he didn't even turn around, but Lola caught up with him and grabbed his arm.  
"Hey you, didn't you hear me?", she asked, a little outta breath after her sprint to catch up with him.  
Vinnie yanked himself free and wanted to continue his path, but Lola blocked his way. Vinnie bit his lower lip in annoyance and fighted the urge to just push her away. That would be harsh, even for him. She was, after all, a female. So, he tried to keep his calm.  
"Can ya please get outta my way, doll? I'm kinda in a hurry…"  
Lola waved her eyelashes at him, apparently a whole lot more self assured than the last time he saw her.  
"Have you thought about that drink yet?", she asked.  
"Ehhh… nope. Now, please, get outta my way…", and Vinnie tried to walk past her, but again, she blocked his way.  
"How about now?"  
"How about never?", Vinnie blurted out.  
The almost black furred female lay her finger on his chest, clearly not impressed by his, not that subtle, rejection.  
"I can't stop thinking about that night… It was so… intense… I'm sure you remember...", and her finger slowly slid down.  
Vinnie felt a shiver going through his body and he grabbed her hand.  
"As a matter of fact, I don't. Now, lemme tell ya this, sweetheart; this mouse is off the market. So, get outta my way or I…"  
"Yeah, so I've heard", she cut him off, her eyes fuming all of a sudden.  
"You're with that human… Honestly, as if that pathetic fragile little girl can give ya what you need… Aren't you scared you break her in half? Because I know you… And you don't play soft… ", and she winked at him.  
Vinnie blinked a few times. Could you believe this girl? Dammit, she was wasting his time. Time to end this.  
"Well, at least I remember every night I had with her, so ehm… yeah, guess that puts her into the lead…"  
Now it was Lola's time to blink and Vinnie's lips curled into a arrogant smirk, he just couldn't help it.  
"Don't worry, doll, I'm used at leaving girls speechless behind, especially when they had a taste of this great body. It's nothing personal, babe, and you're sure as hell ain't the first. Or the last, but hey, details. Later!"  
The look on her face was priceless. Good. Message received. She will never bother him again, that's for sure.  
He continued his path, his smile already fading again. Right. Trouble in paradise. Ugh.  
Time to fix this. This whole thing just made him feel insecure. And if there was one thing he hated, next to cheese and being ignored, was to feel insecure.  
So, time to get this show on the road.

When he walked around a corner, closeby the Main Hall, he suddenly saw Throttle walking straight towards him.  
Ah man.  
Obstacle number two.  
Honestly, if this continued, he would be glad if he could talk to Kiwi _before_ the sun rose.  
"Vincent. Just the mouse I was looking for..."  
Throttle's voice was low. Almost cold.  
Oh boy.  
"Hey there, fearless leader", Vinnie cheered, pretending he didn't hear it. "Have you seen Ki…", but Throttle cut him off.  
"Talk. _Now_."  
He pushed the white furred mouse into a empty room close by and closed the door.  
Then, he slowly turned around and looked at his younger bro, who was looking very uncomfortable.  
Good.  
"I promised Kiwi not to hit you, but seeing your smugly face makes it very hard to keep that promise…", he growled.  
He hated this. Even if he was mad at his bro, he hated this part of being the leader. To be so stern. But it was his job to keep Vinnie in line. And sometimes, that required a little bit more effort than just small warnings. But that didn't mean he liked it.  
Yeah well... the perks of being a leader, right?  
Vinnie shuffled with his feet, his ears drooped.  
"So, guess she told ya, huh?"  
"Oh yeah, she told me, alright. Jesus, Vin, what were ya thinking? To let yourself go like that… You could've killed her!"  
Vinnie's head jerked up.  
"I _would_ never…", but Throttle held up his hand.  
"You also told me you would _never_ do anything to hurt her. And yet, here we are. You _promised_ me, Vincent."  
Vinnie said nothing, but stared angrily at the floor.  
"Remember, that day on Earth? You told me…", but Vinnie cut him off.  
"Yeah, I remember, Throttle. There's nothing wrong with my memory, for fuck sake. It wasn't supposed to happen. You really thought I would do such a thing on purpose? I can hardly remember! Jesus, I lost it, okay? And there's no need to yell at me, to tell me it was wrong, because no one else can blame me more than I already blame myself!"  
Throttle crossed his arms in front of his chest, letting out his breath. The look on Vinnie's face said it all. The guilt practically dripped off of it.  
But still…  
"You were upset. You know you have the tendency of doing stupid things when you're upset. So why go to her, instead of, I dunno, do whatever helps ya to make you feel better?!"  
"Like you said, bro, I do stupid things when I'm upset…", Vinnie muttered under his breath. But then, he looked up at his bro, his chin in the air and a challenging look on his face. Throttle sighed. Here we go...  
"Did you gave Stoker the same scolding? Because his actions caused this whole domino effect of disasters in the first place…"  
"Really, Vincent? How old are you, twelve? You need to stop pointing fingers at others when it's obvious you're the one who is… _has_ fucked up."  
Shit.  
That was a stupid slip.  
Very stupid.  
Vinnie's eyes flickered with anger and pain and Throttle raised his hands in front of his body.  
"I'm sorry, Vin, that came out wrong… That's not what I wanted to say…"  
"No, maybe you're right, _bro._ Maybe I _am_ fucked up…"  
Vinnie leaned against the wall and slid down, his ears drooped in defeat.  
Throttle sat down next to him, his anger already gone.  
"I guess we're all a little fucked up, Vinnie. This war… You've been through a lot. It's not weird you're having problems. It also doesn't make ya less of a man. Look at Stoker. The guy is almost famous on Mars, leading a resistance as big as an army, but he's a broken mouse at the same time. We all have our demons, Vinnie, trust me."  
"Even you?", Vinnie asked with a muted voice, his head in his hands.  
"Even me. I guess I'm just lucky I inherited the calm personality of my father. You, on the other hand… Lemme guess, your mother?"  
Vinnie chuckled softly.  
"Yeah…"  
"You need to learn to open up more, Vin. If you just keep everything inside, you'll explode. Tonight is the prove of that. And it ain't fair Kiwi paid the price, even if she pushed you. I know that's not what you want for her…"  
Vinnie sniffed, still hiding his head in his hands.  
Throttle gave him the time he needed to grab himself together.  
"I love her. I love her so much. And I'm scared to lose her, to let her down. It's just frustrating, ya know? When will this whole thing stop haunting me?", the white furred mouse eventually said, his voice a little hoarse.  
Harley.  
Throttle closed his eyes for a moment. The poor guy was still blaming himself, even after all these years… What a burden to carry with you.  
Heavy. Destroying. Poisoning.  
"It will stop haunting you from the moment you accept the whole thing wasn't your fault…"  
"But it was… You've heard Stoker. I was there, and I did _nothing_. I just… I just let her outta my sight for one second, so stupid…"  
"Stoker said these things outta pain, that doesn't make it the truth, ya know? Look, I can tell you a thousand times it wasn't your fault, but I know you won't believe me. You need to make peace with it, bro. And that's something only _you_ can."  
"But how?"  
"By accepting things the way they are…"  
Throttle suddenly realized this was the first time he had a serious conversation with Vinnie. This was the first time the white furred mouse kinda opened up to him. It made him almost burst with pride. Not because he was proud of himself, no, he was proud of his little bro.  
"That's sounds awfully simple…", Vinnie said softly.  
Throttle chuckled.  
"It does. It is that simple, actually. But very hard at the same time."  
"Life…", Vinnie sighed.  
"... it definitely ain't no straight road", Throttle finished with a small smile.  
Vinnie looked up and gave his older bro a small, but sad smile.  
"Finishing each other sentences, huh? We're kinda good in that."  
"That's because we're family, bro," and Throttle threw his arm over Vinnie's head and put him in a headlock while rubbing his head with his knuckles.  
"Hey, easy on the antanne's!", Vinnie squeaked, trying to get loose.  
Throttle laughed and let him go.  
"Oh, by the way, I've found the answers we were looking for, bro", Vinnie said while rubbing his sore head.  
"Oh, is that so?", Throttle asked with an amused look on his face.  
"Yeah, I ran into some of Limburger's new goonie goons when I was out clearing my head. That oil stain was there too, so I asked him a couple of questions. Polity of course... "  
"Of course."  
"Plutark was about to find out about the failed missions on Earth, so the big cheese arranged a trip back to Mars, using Chaz to make it look like it was because _we_ were discovered. To save his own sorry ass. He blew up his chance on Earth, used us as an excuse for his sudden leaving and he made sure he closed the door behind him. Everybody down there now knows they ain't the only ones in this universum. But hey, guess that makes Earth save again."  
Throttle rubbed his chin.  
"It actually makes sense, ya know?"  
"Well, yeah! That's what I thought too."  
"So that means; liver lips is still a treat, probably already planning his next move… We've gotta keep our eyes and ears open, bro."  
"Don't we always? But really, save the thanks and the compliments, bro... ", Vinnie said casually, studying his fingernails with a arrogant smirk on his face.  
Throttle shrugged.  
"Fine by me. If you insist", and he rose on his feet.  
Vinnie looked somehow disappointed and the tan furred mouse chuckled.  
"Good job, Vincent."  
Vinnie's face lit up.  
"You expected less? Pfuh."  
"Okay, enough, alright. It's time you and Stoker talk, to come to an agreement about this whole situation."  
Vinnie's face darkened.  
"But I wanna see Kiwi…", he pouted.  
"Later. Business before pleasure, Vincent."  
"Ugh, I hate that mantra of yours."  
"Only because I'm right."  
" Yeah, yeah…"

Modo was cleaning Kiwi's wounds in her neck. Luckily, after wiping away the blood, it didn't actually looked that bad. But still…  
He had a hard time to keep his calm. He knew Vinnie was a complicated mouse. He knew the guy had suffered a lot from the war, probably the most of the three of them. He also was the one who had the hardest time in processing it all. And Modo respected that. Accepted that. He accepted the white furred mouse as he was; impulsive, arrogant, a thrillseeker, one hell of a flirt and a hothead. Because he was also so much more; loyal, caring, sweet and a good soldier.  
But this.  
This went against everything Modo was. Against everything he'd learned.  
' _You treat ladies with the respect they deserve, you hear me, Modo Maverick? Even if you think they don't deserve it.'  
_ His momma's voice echoed in his head. He shook his head in annoyance and focussed on his task again.  
Kiwi, now a lot calmer, felt his disapproval. It wasn't that hard, considering his body almost radiated it.  
"Modo, you can calm down now", she said softly.  
Modo stopped with what he was doing and looked her in the eye.  
"I'm trying very hard, Kiwi ma'am. But I keep hearing the voice of my old gray furred momma in my head. I just have a hard time understanding why he did this to ya…"  
"Because he loves me", Kiwi simply explained.  
"With all due respect, but this ain't something you do to someone you love..."  
Kiwi smiled and lay her hands against Modo's cheeks.  
"I know this doesn't make sense. But I need you to trust me on this one, okay, big fella? You think ya can do that?"  
Modo studied her face, he could see the determination in her eyes and he let out his breath.  
"Yeah. Okay. I will. Trust ya."  
Kiwi planted a soft kiss on his forehead before letting him go.  
"Thanks, big guy. That means a lot."  
"Hey, is everything okay here?"  
Modo and Kiwi both looked up and saw Amira walk inside.  
"Yeah, it is", Kiwi answered.  
The honey colored mouse stopped next to them and she narrowed her eyes when she saw the bruises and the small wounds.  
"Ya sure about that? That doesn't look fine… What the hell happened?"  
"It's nothing", Kiwi quickly said and she slid off the bed.  
"I'm gonna go to my room now, I need some time alone. Thanks, Modo. Amira", and she nodded to the female mouse before leaving the room.  
Amira watched her leave and then gave Modo a confused look.  
"She really is okay? I mean, after fainting in front of the whole base… And what about those…", but Modo gently cut her off.  
"Amira ma'am, trust me when I say she's okay. The stress just became too much, all she need is some time."  
"Okay…"  
Amira knew there was more to it, but decided to let it go for now. It was obvious this was something between them.  
She suddenly realized she was alone in one room with Modo, the big, gray furred giant that was so nice and polite. The complete opposite of what he looked like. Huge and muscular. Add the metal arm and the eyepatch and you had the perfect picture of a badass looking mouse.  
But he had such a small heart. When she saw how he had treated the Martian Squirrelbat, that day she was on Earth, she immediately fell in love with him. I mean, guys like him were rare. Most of the soldiers on this base were arrogant, flirtatious and manners was something they had never heard from before in their life.  
"You okay, Amira ma'am?", Modo asked polite after clearing his throat.  
"Oh! Yeah, I was just zoomed out for a moment. So ehm… You've got something to do right now?", she blurted out.  
Oh. That wasn't supposed to come out.  
But Modo gave her a shy smile.  
"I've got some time. What do you have in mind?"  
"Let's grab a drink in the Main Hall."  
"I'd love to", Modo smiled and offered her his arm. She hooked her arm into his and they left the room, Amira with her heart pounding in her chest.  
Oh dear… She could only hope this was gonna go well.

Throttle was tapping with his fingers on the table, looking from Vinnie to Stoker and back.  
The white furred mouse was staring angrily at a spot on the table, his ears flat and his arms crossed before his chest.  
Stoker was deep in thoughts, probably searching for the right words. Throttle waited patiently. He was only here to keep Vinnie in line, not that Stoker couldn't handle that, but this was a touchy subject for both of them. So, it was up to him to make sure this was gonna go smooth, preferably without explosions.  
After a while, Stoker took a deep breath.  
"Listen, punk, I owe ya an apology. I had no idea you two were _that_ serieus, if I had known, I would never have made a move. I thought she was just a fling…"  
Vinnie snorted.  
" _That's_ your excuse for hitting on my girl?"  
"I guess it is…"  
"Now that's just pathetic", Vinnie muttered under his breath.  
Another silence.  
After choosing his next words carefully, Stoker continued.  
"I also should never have said these things about… ya know… My emotions took over."  
"So, does that mean you meant every word you said?", Vinnie asked, not even that unfriendly. It sounded more like he was scared to hear the answer.  
Stoker thought about that. And the old man took his time, making Vinnie wiggle in his seat impatiently, feeling very uncomfortable. But he fighted the urge to run away. He knew Throttle would stop him. And he knew he had no other choice but to listen. So, he remained right where he was.  
Finally, Stoker put him outta his misery.  
"No. I didn't mean it. I thought I did, but I didn't. It wasn't your fault. If we want someone to blame, it should be Mace. I know that if there was something you could do, you would've done it."  
Vinnie visibly relaxed. Even if he didn't appreciate it that the old man went after his girl behind his back, it was still Stoker. His mentor. He respected him. He needed his approval, his respect, just as much as he needed it from Throttle.  
"I eh… I shouldn't have pushed ya… I guess…", he stumbled.  
"No, you shouldn't. But I kinda deserved it…", Stoker chuckled. "Guess we both need to find peace about what happened. We both lost her. We should support each other instead of fighting over girls. Dammit, I'm way too old to fight over girls…"  
"I'm not... ", and Vinnie smirked arrogant. "But I guess you're right…"  
"So, punk... ", but Stoker stopped and then smiled. "Vincent…"  
"Vinnie", the white furred mouse corrected him softly.  
"Vinnie. Are we good?"  
"Yeah. We're good."  
The white and brown furred mouse fist bumped.  
"So, time to focus on our main goal, namely; a certain stinking salmon. Throttle told me something about you finding out the last answers we were looking for?", but Vinnie jumped at his feet.  
"As much as I'd love to stay and talk about strategy, I'm gonna leave that to you,guys. It never was my thing anyway. I rather dive in. Besides, I really need to talk to Kiwi, so, later!" and he was gone before Stoker and Throttle could even blink.  
They shared a look and smiled. Crazy mouse.

Kiwi was lying in bed, covered with three blankets, but dammit, it was cold.  
Man, the things she would do for a warm bath right now…  
She looked up when the door opened and her heart made a jump.  
Finally.  
She slid outta the bed, ran towards him and jumped in his arms.  
"I'm so glad you're back", she whispered, holding him tightly.  
Vinnie, at first surprised about this warm welcome, soon wrapped his arms around her.  
"Damn, sweetheart, you're freezing. We need to find ya some more blankets."  
He gently lifted her and after laying her down on the bed, he quickly took place next to her and threw the blankets over both of them. He then wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him.  
She crawled against his warm body, letting out a satisfied smile.  
Home.  
His fingers brushed over the wounds in her neck.  
"I don't know what to say, doll. I'm sorry. I really am", he said softly.  
"We've been here before. We were both wrong. Can we stop talking about it? I'm just so happy you're here…"  
Vinnie said nothing. He wanted to make things right, so badly. But he had no idea how. She wasn't even mad at him. That's crazy. She must love him very much…  
She did. He knew she did. He did too…  
That's it! He suddenly knew how to make things right.  
By taking the final step.  
To let her know that she _was_ everything to him.  
To let her know that he would _do_ everything for her.  
And with everything, he meant… _everything_.  
He rolled on his side and looked down on her, a small smile around his lips.  
She looked up at him, a curious look on her face.  
"What? Why are you smiling like that? That usual means you're up to something…"  
"You know me too well…", he mumbled, while tucking her hair behind her ears.  
He gently took his stud outta her left ear and switched it with the one in her right ear.  
When she started to understand what he was doing, her eyes grew big and she almost jerked upright, but Vinnie gently stopped her.  
"Listen, sweetheart. I know I told ya I ain't that much of a wedding type, but I feel this sudden urge to… to make things official. I love ya. So, so much. And... this is the last time, I swear… I'm so sorry about what happened. But my love for you is so overwhelming sometimes and I'm so, so _fucking_ scared of losing ya. And because of that, I intend to do stupid things. But nothing, absolutely nothing, is gonna change the fact that I love you. I know I have a weird way of expressing that sometimes, but trust me when I say you're the one for me. So, ehm… Kiwi Lavendor… Will you marry me?"  
Tears escaped through her lashes while wrapping her arms around his neck and she threw herself on top of him, hugging him tightly.  
"Ehm… sweetheart? You _do_ know that you're supposed to say something back now, right?", Vinnie asked, a nervous tone in his voice.  
She looked him in the eye, into his mesmerizing ruby, red eyes and a big grin almost split her face in half.  
"Oh, right", she chuckled a little sheepishly. She cleared her throat. "Yes. Yes, I wanna marry you, you crazy mouse!", and she kissed him.  
He kissed her back, very gently to avoid the cut in her lip would split open again.  
Maybe...  
Maybe things were gonna be okay eventually. In the end.  
Maybe...

Throttle lay down next to Carbine, letting out a heavily sigh. The light gray furred female rolled on her side to look at him.  
"You okay?  
"Yeah, it was just one of those days…"  
"Everything back under control now, Commander Throttle?", Carbine asked with a teasing smile.  
After Kiwi fainted, she had asked what was wrong. But soon after, she had decided to stay out of it. Throttle was glad she did. If she had heard what happened between Kiwi and Vinnie, she would've exploded. She probably would've yelled she was right all along and that she wanted Vinnie gone. He actually couldn't blame her. I mean, it wasn't really like she knew him. Like, really knew him. She'd never really succeeded to look past the ego. But Throttle knew the white furred mouse was so much more. Complicated, yes… but more.  
"Yeah, the kids made up, peace has restored… Well, as far that's possible with those stinkfaces out there..."  
"Any news on Limburger?"  
Throttle told her what Vinnie had discovered.  
"So, catching him again ain't gonna be easy, right? I mean, took you guys long enough to finally bring him here. And the only reason that worked out, was because he, apparently, planned it himself…"  
Throttle glanced at her.  
"You know, you really make it sound like we were just hanging around on Earth, babe. The guy is slippery, alright. He's a fish."  
Carbine smiled.  
"I know. We'll catch him. One day…"  
"Yeah, you bet we will. And if we do, no more prison cells. No more wasting time. No more risks."  
"Well, yeah, but… what exactly _are_ we gonna do with him when we catch him?", Carbine suddenly asked, a thoughtful frown on her face.  
"Guess that's up to Stoker…", Throttle answered.  
"Guess it is… "  
"How was your day?"  
"Oh you know… a lot of paperwork, making sure everything on this base runs smoothly… Oh, and Jax came to talk to me. Kiwi had told him I knew the whole story about Rose now, and advised him to talk to me. To get some peace…"  
"And, did that work?"  
"It kinda did. But it's still his sister who died way too young in a horrible way, so it's still a bitter pill to swallow."  
"It sure is…"  
Throttle yawned and took off his glasses.  
"I'm done for today… Come here, you", and he pulled her close to him.  
Their tails entwined and Throttle let out a satisfied sigh.  
"Either way, I'm so glad we're back. To have you in my arms again…"  
"Me too, stranger, me too."  
"Sweet dreams", he whispered in her ear and she smiled, her eyes closed.  
"When you're in one of them, always…"

A few days past. Kiwi had taken some time off, to take the time to adjust and to rest. Stoker insisted she would, so she did. Without complaining. Because she knew she needed some time to get things back on track. Her body needed time to adjust to another climate, her mind needed time to adjust to this whole other culture, although there were many similarities with how they did things on Earth. But still.  
She and Vinnie had decided to keep their 'engagement" a secret for now. They both wanted to get used by the idea themselves, and to be in such a 'conspiracy' together was great for the bonding. They both loved to make small comments that somehow had something to do with marriage, but no one really picked up the hint, and they both found it hilarious.  
Vinnie had told her it was up to her. Whenever she was ready to share, he was too.  
But at this very moment, the white furred mouse wasn't thinking about all this. They were sitting in the Main Hall for lunch. Amira had joined them and Vinnie noticed something was going on between Modo and the honey coloured biologist. So, after he was done eating, what took him like, five seconds, he folded his hands under his chin and was now looking from Modo to Amira and back with a amused look on his face, his ruby red eyes twinkling.  
Oh yeah, the signs were definitely there. They were obviously trying to make it look like they were 'just' talking, but Vinnie knew better.  
He knew Modo, to start with. His older bro. The biggest and strongest of the three of them. The one with the most insidious appearance, since the guy looked like he was gonna eat ya by only saying 'boo' to him, but he was the most sensitive and gentle guy Vinnie knew. He admired that, sometimes. I mean, the guy obviously had no trouble with expressing his emotions. And it certainly didn't make him less of a man. I mean, if there was one thing you wanted to avoid in your life was that running into Modo on a battlefield.  
But the big hulk was now talking with Amira with a faint blush on his cheeks, looking all uncomfortable. It was different than with Ruby, he was obviously being a lot more cautious now. But Vinnie could already see that the honey coloured biologist was starting to grow on him.  
Good. He deserved to be happy. He'd mourned long enough about the devastating loss of the love of his life. Time to move on. And not that Vinnie knew Amira that well, he had the feeling the female mouse was a way better match with Modo than Ruby ever was or ever would be.

Modo suddenly looked Vinnie straight in the eye and his blush became even bigger when he realized the white furred mouse was watching him. His eye narrowed a little, clearly annoyed because his younger bro sometimes did have his moments that the world wasn't only about himself. And he saw in the mischievous twinkling red eyes, this was one of those moments.  
Vinnie winked at him and turned his gaze away, a small smile curling his lips.  
Modo sighed, but focussed his attention back on Amira, knowing there was nothing he could do or say right now.  
Suddenly, Jax popped up next to their table, a worried look on his normally happy face.  
"Carbine, Throttle, can we talk for a moment?", he asked.  
He then saw Kiwi and gave her a smile.  
"Hey Kiwi."  
"Hey Jax", Kiwi greeted him back, giving him a warm smile back.  
Vinnie studied the silver furred mouse, he somehow looked familiar…  
Oh.  
Rose.  
This was her brother.  
Awkward…  
Jax clearly avoided to look at Vinnie and the white furred mouse was fine with that. No need to make this more awkward than it already was.  
"Sure", and Carbine rose on her feet, so did Throttle.  
"Stoker, I think you wanna hear this too."  
The brown furred mouse nodded and followed Carbine, Throttle and Jax outside the Main Hall.  
"Wonder where that's all about…", Kiwi mused, following them with her eyes.  
"Probably nothing, I mean, I'm just waiting for something to happen before I'll fade away, but it seems the God's aren't with me in this one…", Vinnie sighed, trying very hard not to have hope that maybe, just maybe, there was something going on that needed their, or better said, _his_ skills.  
He was bored, alright. After his fight with the rats and Greasepit, he was stuck on this base, not allowed to go out alone anymore.  
Because, quote; it was too dangerous.  
Pfuh, come on!  
Things only became dangerous if they would unleash him. He had enough frustrations inside of him, a result of all the drama, that he could deal with a whole army of rats all by himself.  
But orders are orders.  
He knew that. If it had been Carbine who'd gave the order, he wouldn't have cared that much. He probably would even disobey the order.  
But it was Throttle who told him to keep a low profile for now. To lay low. To wait until Limburger was gonna make a move.  
Ugh. He couldn't disobey Throttle. Not him. He respected him too much.  
Man… Boooooooooooooooooring…  
Oh, if only he knew...

"Are you sure about this?", Carbine asked urgent, grabbing Jax by his arm.  
"Well, yeah… the video ain't lying, Carbine…"  
Stoker rubbed his chin.  
"Why don't ya show us the video, kid?"  
Once in Braavos, Jax sat down and after typing a few things, a video appeared on one of the screens. It was recorded by one of the security cameras from the new Limburger Tower. Kiwi had hacked into the system, right before that awful night. A good thing too, because when they saw what was happening on that screen, Stoker and Carbine breathed in sharply.  
"Is that…", Carbine started.  
"She's white, it's gotta be someone he knows…", Stoker mumbled.  
They both looked at Throttle, who was staring at the screen with his mouth open.  
"Can you zoom in?", he eventually asked at Jax and the silver furred mouse did what he asked.  
"Stop! Right there…", and Throttle leaned forward.  
Gone was the doubt.  
It was obvious.  
Weird, unexpected, but obvious.  
"You know her?", Carbine asked.  
Throttle kept staring at the screen.  
"No. Well, not really. I only found out about her recently... "  
"Who is she?", Stoker asked.  
"That, coach, is Vinnie's sister..."

* * *

Oh my, another cliffhanger.

Definitely a tense one, too.  
Thought we could use that after so much cuteness in this chapter.

Feel free to leave a review, I would very much appreciate it.  
Thanks for reading my story and till next time, you guys!

Later!


	55. Chapter 54

Hey you guys…

Thanks again for the reviews, my loyal readers! Good to see you're still with me, Butterfly Souls! :)

And yes, Vinnie has a sister. He told about her that night in that motel, when they were drinking whiskey, remember?  
Most of the small details I give in this story seems to be like I just called it; small. But not all of them are. But I can totally understand if you guys forget about them, since this story has already 53 chapters, with more to come.  
It's crazy. Hope it's not getting boring... :O XD  
Anywayz, let me know if there's something you don't understand, it's no problem at all for me to explain. :)

So, next chapter. I've fighted the urge to upload it sooner and took my time to check it on spelling and grammar. I'm sure there are still, hopefully minor, mistakes, but I did the best I could :) Hope it's good enough!

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter fifty four**

"His… his sister?", Carbine managed to bring out.  
"Since when does the punk has a sister?", Stoker asked shocked.  
"Since he was born, because it's his twin sister…", Throttle said softly. "He told us on Earth. First time that he mentioned her, me and Modo didn't know either until that moment."  
"But… how do you know it's her? I mean, it's not that Vinnie has showed you pictures, right?", and Carbine leaned forward to study the screen.  
"No, but look at her. She's the female version of Vinnie, don't tell him I've said that, though… If I need to guess, she's around the same age as him, she has the same eyes, that look on her face… Come on, am I the only one seeing the resemble here?"  
Stoker and Carbine stared at the screen for a while.  
A young, white furred mouse looked straight into the camera. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was being hold by a big rat. Fear was written on her face, but at the same time, they saw a hint of determination in her ruby red eyes.  
Her fur was covered with dirt and looked greasy, but it was clear it used to be white as snow. Her long hair, also white but with black stripes in it, was tied in a braid, the tip almost reaching the start of her tail. Colorful beats were weaved into it, along with small braids, and a few bangs hang loose around her face.  
The clothes she wore were dirty and torn, and the body that was hidden under it gave the expression it was being close to starved.  
But it was the look on her face that made both Carbine and Stoker nod their head.  
"Yeah, even if it ain't his sister, she's definitely related to him, that's for sure…"  
Throttle lay a hand on Jax his shoulder.  
"Thanks, Jax, good job. Try to find out more about her, will ya? Till then, keep this between us."  
Jax nodded.  
"I will…"  
Throttle signed to Carbine and Stoker to follow him, they obviously needed to talk.  
"Hey, Throttle?"  
The tan furred mouse turned around and looked at Jax questionably.  
"It's good to have ya back, man", the silver furred mouse smiled.  
"Thanks, Jax. I've gotta say; it really is good to be home."  
And after one smile, he followed Stoker and Carbine outside.

Once in Carbine's room, the only place they were sure that nobody was gonna hear them, Throttle dropped on a seat and buried his face in his hands, as if he only now got hit by the gravity of this situation.  
"Jesus, this is… how are we gonna do this? We can't just _tell_ him…"  
"He deserves to know, Throttle", Stoker said.  
"Yeah, of course he does, but come on, we all know how he is. The moment we tell him, he's just gonna go out there by himself, to get her out, and probably gets himself killed in the process because he ain't thinking clear… And no way I'm gonna be able to stop him. I think that even an entire _army_ isn't gonna be able to stop him if we tell him this. And I can hardly blame him. It's his sister, after all. "  
Carbine stared out of the window, a thoughtful frown on her face.  
"What do you know about her, Throttle?"  
"Only that her name is Mireya and that she went missing at the beginning of the war. Vinnie is convinced she's dead, he's got no hope whatsoever."  
"How is it even possible Limburger has got her in his filthy hands?", Stoker asked the most obvious question, but obvious or not, it was a question that nobody could answer at this moment.  
"And what's his plan? Does he know she's related to Vinnie? I mean, if so, that could mean he's gonna use her to blackmail us…", Carbine mused. "He just has to hold a gun against her head and our hands are tied. He knows we wouldn't risk the life of someone who's one of us. Never."  
"I think the most important matter right now is; how in the world are we gonna tell Vinnie that we've found his sister? Even worse, that we've found out his sister is a prisoner at Limburger Tower?", Throttle asked despondently.  
"I think that for now, we need to keep this between us and Jax. First, we need a plan. Let's just hope Jax can find out more about this. We need to know what Limburger is up to, so we can anticipate. And when we have a plan, a good plan, we'll tell Vinnie…", Carbine suggested, looking at the two male mice.  
Throttle took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  
Man, this was fucked up. This meant he needed to lie to one of his bro's.  
Rewind; both of his bro's. Because he also couldn't tell Modo. Nor he could tell Kiwi.  
Man…  
He normally tells his bro's everything. He liked to be transparent, since he may be their leader, but he's also their friend and bro. And they were in this together.  
But he knew there was no choice. Vinnie was gonna lose his shit if he was gonna find out about this, big time. And he knew he needed to keep this quiet to protect his younger and impulsive little bro. But still…  
He suddenly felt two warm hands on his shoulder, squeezing softly.  
"I think everybody in this room can confirm that being a leader sometimes really, really sucks…", Carbine said softly.  
Stoker nodded by hearing this comment.  
"Yup. I know this feels like you're betraying the punk, Throttle. But this is different, it's to…"  
"... to protect him, I know", Throttle cut him off. "But that doesn't mean I like it. That doesn't make me feel better about myself."  
"I know…"  
Throttle stared at the table.  
Man, he wondered how mad Vinnie was gonna be when he found out that he'd kept this from him. Well, only one lousy answer to that also lousy question...  
He was gonna be furious. And the worst part was… he had every right to be. Because the white furred mouse trusted him. Trusted him with his life. They were family. They were connected, sharing a bond that went deeper than blood. And he was about to violate that trust.  
But there was no choice at this point. So, Throttle took a few deep breaths and pushed his discomfort aside.  
Time to make a plan. The sooner, the better.

Kiwi opened the heavy metal door from Braavos and walked inside.  
Jax was so busy with his work, he didn't even hear her come in. Flash and Neo were nowhere to be seen.  
"Hey Jax…", Kiwi said, a little hesitant.  
She didn't want to startle the silver furred mouse, but that was already too late. He whirled around in his chair, grabbing his chest in the process.  
"Jesus, Kiwi, you scare the shit outta me!", he breathed.  
Kiwi raised her hands.  
"Sorry, sorry! It's just me."  
Jax took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, but then, he narrowed his eyes.  
"What are you doing here? I thought you were benched for now? At least, that's what Stoker told me."  
"I am. But the worried expression on your usual happy face triggered my curiosity. And since Stoker, Carbine or Throttle still ain't back, I've decided to go find some answers by myself."  
Jax shifted his weight, his ears twitched, so did the top of his tail.  
Kiwi had been long enough in the presence of Martian Mice to recognize the signs.  
Jax was nervous. But why?  
"Jax…", she started, but he cut her off.  
"I'm not allowed to tell ya what's going on, Kiwi. I'm really sorry, but this has to stay classified until further notice."  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes.  
Say what? This was new.  
"Okay… So, just to make sure we're on the same page here; I'm part of the team, no, lemme rephrase that; you guys _made_ me part of the team and now you're already keeping secrets from me? How does that fit in the whole 'you're part of the team now?'"  
Jax sighed.  
"Kiwi, you need to understand how we work here. You _are_ part of the team. Just as much as Neo and Flash are. But even if we ain't no army, we _do_ follow up orders sometimes. To protect the mission. It's nothing personal, Kiwi, trust me."  
Kiwi let out her breath and relaxed a little. He was right. And she was blaming the messenger. She needed to take this a few ranks higher.  
"That makes sense… Sorry, Jax, I wasn't thinking."  
"It's okay. You still have a lot to learn, but that's okay. We all had, when we first started."  
Kiwi's eyes wandered over the screens. Jax saw it and quickly pushed a key to make the screens turn black. But Kiwi had already seen a flash of a image that made her insides turn.  
Yep. She definitely needed to take this to the higher ranks. What the hell was going on here?  
Jax saw the look on her face and jumped at his feet.  
"Kiwi, please, don't do anything…", but Kiwi gave him a quick smile.  
"I'll leave ya to it. Later, Jax!"  
"...stupid…", Jax finished his sentence, when his eyes followed the girl who almost ran outta the room.  
Shit. The look on her face had said it all.  
She was gonna do something stupid.

Kiwi marched straight to Carbine's room, knowing that was the only place where she could find the three mice with whom she desperately wanted to talk.  
There was a guard standing in front of the door, making Kiwi even more suspicious. She maybe wasn't living here _that_ long, but she already had figured out that there was only a guard at the door if Carbine didn't want to be disturbed.  
So, that meant they were talking about what she _thought_ she had seen on that screen, right before Jax had intervened.  
"I need to talk to Carbine", Kiwi demanded when she stopped in front of the guard.  
But the blond furred mouse shook his head.  
"No can do. I've got strict orders to let nobody in. So, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait your turn."  
And he turned his gaze away, probably thinking she was gonna accept that answer without contradiction.  
In other words; conversation over.  
But Kiwi wouldn't be Kiwi if she would just walk away now.  
"I don't think you understand, sir. I really need to talk to her, and with that I mean; _right now_."  
The guard looked down on her, a bored expression on his face. He was, by the looks of things, not impressed.  
"I don't think _you_ understand, lady. Nobody's allowed to go inside until further notice. So, be a nice little human and go play with your computers, will ya? And leave the real work to the real soldiers."  
Kiwi narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms before her chest.  
"And what if I told ya I know what they're talking about in there? I mean, it must be extremely classified, giving the orders Carbine gave ya. What do you think that will happen if I tell everyone on this base about this secret? More important, what will happen if Carbine's gonna find out that you could've stopped me by simply letting me in? Oh man, I can already hear her scream… So, be a nice little mouse and open that door for me, will ya? And leave the real work to the people who actually have brains."  
Okay, okay.  
She was bluffing. Because honestly? She had no idea what was going on, nothing more than a small premonition.  
But that was her little secret.

The guard narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip around the gun that he was holding.  
But Kiwi didn't burge. She knew that even if he didn't like her, she still was one of them and he knew too. So, the last thing he would do was blow her head off.  
"Well? What are ya waiting for?"  
The guard sighed, knowing he couldn't take the risk to let her just walk away now.  
So, he turned around and opened the door. He wanted to walk inside and talk to Carbine first, but Kiwi quickly slipped past him.  
"Hey!", the blonde furred guard called out, but she was already standing at the table, looking at the three mice she needed to see.  
Carbine looked back annoyed, Throttle too, but mixed with amusement and Stoker? Well, giving the look on his face, he found this whole thing nothing more but hilarious.  
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I…", the guard started, but Carbine held up her hand to stop him, her ears twitching with annoyance.  
"Honestly, what part of 'nobody's allowed to come inside' is so hard for you to understand?"  
The blond furred mouse shrunk and lowered his gaze, but Kiwi cleared her throat.  
"You really shouldn't blame him, Carbine. I eh… Well, let's just say this is my fault, not his."  
The guard looked up, clearly surprised that she was standing up for him, even after him treating her the way he had done just now. Kiwi gave him a apologetic smile.  
Carbine sighed loudly and waved at the guard.  
"Fine, fine. I know how annoying this girl can be, so; dismissed."  
The guard saluted and quickly left the room with a relieved look on his face.  
"So, and why do you think you have the right to just walk into a secret meeting like this?", the light gray furred female then asked at Kiwi, who sat down.  
"I saw something in Braavos. Something that concerned me", Kiwi started.  
"Oh really? And what's that?", Carbine snarled.  
"A image of a mouse."  
"Wauw, now that's shocking…"  
"A image of a _white_ mouse, that is…"  
A deadly silence.  
"And normally, I wouldn't care that much, but someone once told me that white mice are rare on this planet…", Kiwi continued, while looking at Throttle.  
The tan furred mouse closed his eyes for a moment, but his lips curled into a small smile. By the looks of things, Kiwi had found back her strength. And despite this whole situation, he was glad she did.  
"Well, that _someone_ …", and Carbine gave Throttle a deadly glare. "... is partly right. They are rare. But not _that_ rare. So, I don't know what conclusion you've drawn, but you're wrong. Now, get out and let us do our job."  
"Now that's just harsh, Carbine", Stoker intervened sharply. "The girl sure knows how to use her brain. Maybe she can help."  
"Help? Do you even hear yourself, Stoker? She's with Vinnie! We can't take the risk to tell her", Carbine replied stubborn.  
"She's already involved, whether you like it or not, babe…", Throttle sighed.  
He partly agreed with Carbine, I mean, keeping things from Vinnie was already bad enough, but if they were gonna involve Kiwi into this… that would mean that the person he loved the most in this world needed to lie to him. And he wasn't sure if that would be the best decision to make right now, in Vinnie's sake.  
But at the same time, he knew how she was. The human girl wasn't gonna let this go without a fight.  
Oh no, she sure as hell wasn't.  
Kiwi was listening to all this, and it confirmed that nagging feeling that something was really wrong.  
And it had something to do with Vinnie.  
"I'm not leaving this room until I know what the hell is going on", she said stubborn, putting her chin in the air.  
"Oh really? I can _have_ you removed, ya know. And just so you know; my guards ain't polite with people who doesn't know when to listen", Carbine snarled back.

Suddenly, Stoker slammed his fist on the table while jumping on his feet. Everyone made a small jump on their seat and looked up startled at the brown furred mouse, who, giving the look on his face, wasn't amused.  
" _Enough_. We have much more important matters to deal with right now. So, Carbine, rope it in, will ya? We need to work together, instead of fighting each other. We all have the same goal here. The Freedom Fighters are successful because they work _together._ Because they're able to set aside their differences and work as a _team_ , no matter what. I sometimes get the feeling that you've forgotten about that. Lemme refresh that memory of yours a little; we ain't the goddamned army!"  
Carbine's face darkened and her whole body stiffened, but she only gave a small nod to let Stoker know the message was received.  
Kiwi was impressed. So, there _was_ someone the stubborn General listened to.  
Good.  
Impressive.  
Refreshing.  
Then, Stoker's gaze landed on Kiwi and she somehow was a little startled by the intense look in his eyes.  
"Kiwi, listen to me. I have nothing against involving ya into this fucked up situation, but before we'll tell ya what we know… This mission is gonna require more, much more, than you think at this point. It means you'll have to lie to your loved ones. To keep things from them. Ya think ya can do that?"  
Kiwi's heart skipped a beat. The message was loud and clear. She needed to lie to Vinnie. But why? Why were they keeping things from him?  
I mean, she wasn't really used to that. Throttle normally told them, and with them she meant his bro's, everything…  
She realized that the only way to find the answer to that question was to agree with the terms Stoker told her just now.  
But lying to Vinnie...  
Her curiosity and almost overwhelming desire to help won this inner battle.  
"I think I can. So, tell me. Who the hell have I just seen on that screen?"  
Stoker and Throttle shared a quick look and Stoker signed to the tan furred mouse to take the word.  
The latter cleared his throat.  
"We have reason to believe that it's Vinnie's sister."  
Kiwi breathed in sharply.  
"How… what… huh? How is that even possible?", she stuttered.  
Throttle gently took her hand.  
"Kiwi, we know as much as you do at this point. We have no idea. But when I saw her face, the look in her eyes… It's gotta be her. And she's a prisoner of Limburger. We're in for some serious trouble, big time."  
"And you keep this from Vinnie, because…?", she asked, but she immediately realized why. "Ask a stupid question…", she mumbled.  
"You know him, Kiwi. I need you to understand, and it's _really_ important to me that you do, we only keep this from him to _protect_ him. For now. Only until we've got a plan. And trust me when I say I like this as much as you do…"  
Kiwi could hear the pain in his voice. He hated this. But he was right. Vinnie was gonna do something stupid if he was gonna find out, being the impulsive mouse that he was.  
"So, we better come up with something then, right?", she said determined.  
"Jax is already trying to find out more about her", Stoker told her, but Kiwi grabbed her tablet which she was always carrying with her from the moment Neo gave it to her.  
"But, no offence, Jax ain't the skilled hacker that I am. Give me some time, okay?", Kiwi smiled confident and went to work.  
Throttle smiled.  
Yep. She was back alright. No doubt about that.

Back in the Main Hall, Modo and Amira were sitting together. There was a uncomfortable silence, since they were suddenly the only ones left after lunch.  
After Jax came to ask if he could talk to Throttle, Carbine and Stoker, Kiwi soon had followed, telling them she was gonna try to find out what was going on.  
Vinnie was too restless to go with her, also too restless to sit still for longer than one minute and just after Kiwi left, he'd jumped at his feet, mumbling something about upgrading his bike before he almost bounced outta the Main Hall.  
So, here they were.  
Since this was totally unexpected, it felt different than that night they went for a drink together. They had talked for hours, but most of it was just small talk.  
Modo cleared his throat.  
"Why don't we go for a walk, Amira ma'am?", he asked, not able to handle the silence any longer.  
She looked up at him, a little surprised.  
"A walk?", she blurted out, but then she shrugged. "Sure, why not?"  
They left the Main Hall and walked into the courtyard, which was big enough for taking a walk.  
"So, ehm… How was your… how was your life before, ya know… this whole mess?", Modo asked.  
Amira took a deep breath.  
"Well, this is probably gonna sound weird, but it was kinda boring", she smiled. "I was eh… well, I always have been a bit of a nerd. While growing up, I had more interest in nature and wildlife, while everyone around me was busy with everything but that. So, you can imagine I didn't really have any friends. I was outcast. Weird. A nerd.."  
She was still smiling, clearly having no hard feelings about it.  
Modo was impressed. He knew how easy it was to hold some sorta grudge to things that had happened to you.  
But that clearly wasn't the case with Amira.  
"Anyway, after finishing school, I met someone who worked at the Nature and Wildlife Protection Department at the government and he soon found out about my love for nature. He offered me a job as a trainee, to learn everything about the profession that's called biologist. Later, he told me he was almost ready to retire and that he was looking for someone who could step in his footsteps, who could make sure that he was able to leave without being worried about his life's work. Because that's what it was for him. It was his life's work. Anyway, he promoted me after being his trainee for two years and I took over his position. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job, I still do. But it was all I had. I had no friends, my family was outta the picture… Being here, working for the Freedom Fighters, well, it feels like a warm bath. I have friends now. And I can still do the job that I love. I like living in this small community…"  
She looked up at Modo.  
"You must think I'm crazy, or otherwise very pathetic, since the only reason that the Freedom Fighters exist is that horrible war… And I hate the war. I hate the Plutarkians. But at the same time, it gave me back something I really missed; a family."  
Modo realized she was right. The same was true for him.  
"I don't think you're crazy, nor I think you're pathetic. I think you were lonely. And, even if war is the reason this family is created, it's perfectly normal you're happy you ain't lonely anymore. I also lost my whole family. And now, I have the Freedom Fighters. And most important, my bro's. We have all found each other because of this war and I'm glad I did. I don't think that's crazy. That's being grateful for the things you have right now, Amira ma'am."  
Amira smiled and gently touched his arm for a moment.  
"You know, you're the first person that really understands.. That this war hasn't only brought misery and pain. It also brought some good things."  
Modo stared at the spot on his arm where her hand was just seconds ago, realizing he suddenly wished her hand was still there. He hesitated, but then gently took her hand and their fingers entwined. And Modo had to admit, it felt good. It gave him hope. Hope that he wasn't lost and alone for the rest of his, hopefully long, life.  
"It sure does, Amira ma'am. It sure does."

"Hey, uncle Modo! Wait up!"  
Modo looked up and saw his nephew running over to them.  
"Hey there, Rimfire", Modo greeted him lovingly.  
"Listen to this! Stoker promoted me! I'm the official leader of my own pack now! Guess busting his sorry ass outta jail looked good on my resumé."  
"Wauw, that's… that's awesome, Rimfire! Congrats!", Modo rumbled, quickly hiding his worries.  
"Thanks!", Rimfire smiled, his eyes twinkling and clearly unaware of the mixed feelings his uncle had at this very moment.  
He suddenly realized the gray furred giant wasn't alone.  
"Hey Amira! What are you two doing outside?", he asked curious.  
"We're just taking a walk", Modo answered, but soon realized how stupid that sounded.  
They were living in a war, for god sake. You didn't make walks while living in a war.  
And yet, here they were...  
Rimfire narrowed his eyes and then looked at Amira, who smiled back a little sheepishly.  
"A walk, 'ey?", the sand coloured furred mouse asked, a small smile around his lips while his gaze lowered and landed on their entwined hands.  
"Eh yeah…", Modo sighed. He was just about to say something about Rimfire's promotion, not wanting to spend another second with trying to explain how he was spending his afternoon, when a young mouse around Rimfire's age called his nephews name. Rimfire looked over his shoulder.  
"Coming!" He then looked back at his uncle.  
"Sorry, gotta go! This whole leadership comes with enough responsibilities, but hey, nothing I can't handle…", he trailed off. "That sounded so much like Vinnie, it's almost scary. Anyway, gotta go, later!" and the young mouse was already gone before Modo could say something back.  
The big guy sighed. He really was proud on his nephew, he _really_ was and he knew the young mouse deserved this shot at leadership, but it was still his little nephew at the same time. His little nephew, who deserved so much more than growing up in a war.  
He had this enthusiasm about this whole promotion that just wasn't healthy. Not for boys of his age. Boys of his age needed to play with toy guns, not firing real guns. His young soul had already seen too much, and maybe now he could still handle it. Cope with it.  
But Modo knew that at some point, and when was different per person, there was gonna be a turning point. And he suddenly wished he could protect his nephew for that. That he could protect him for everything that was to come.  
To stop him, before he would reach that awful point of no return.  
But at the same time, he knew that he wasn't gonna be able to stop Rimfire. To keep him in the shadows, hidden for all the pain and misery.  
But still...  
"It's weird how many different feelings this whole war brings up, huh?", Amira broke him outta his thoughts, squeezing his hand softly.  
Modo looked down on her, a little surprised. But he could see it in her eyes.  
She understood. She _really_ understood. To completely understand how the mind of a soldiers worked, you needed to be there.  
To see it. To feel it. To _experience_ it.  
War.  
She was different than Ruby. Ruby was damaged. Broken because of the loss of her husband and kid.  
Amira wasn't. She was whole. Pure. Not naive, but down to Earth. Or Mars, in this case. And she _knew_.  
Something clicked in Modo's head. And he suddenly knew, he just knew, she was the one who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Not because burning desire, lust or because he was madly in love, no…  
It somehow felt familiar. Like coming home. And that feeling was so much more than just love. He could know. Cami had given him the same feeling, back then.  
This was more than love. This was meant to be.  
He suddenly realized he was still staring at her and he shook his head.  
"Ahum, yeah. Yeah, it is…", he stuttered, creating some distance between them.  
But Amira had seen the look on his face and her heart skipped a beat. No time for being shy now, mister.  
So, she did a step forward, grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him closer and pressed her lips against his. She felt him tense, but soon, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. It was a calm kiss, not heated but more like an… voyage of discovery.  
But that was okay. Because they both felt completely at ease.  
Yep. This was meant to be. It has to be.  
After mourning for so long, Modo finally got a second chance. And he was gonna take it with both hands, metal or not. Because she didn't care about that. He just knew.  
And he finally felt something he hadn't felt in a long time...  
Peace.

"They got her from the Sand Raiders. That's it. That's all I can find", Kiwi sighed frustrated.  
She was searching for hours now, but the girl was a ghost. The only thing that she was able to find was a transcript, telling her that Limburger had paid a huge amount of money to the Sand Raiders.  
"You did the best you could, beautiful", Stoker said encouraging, but Kiwi shook her head.  
"Maybe, but this is weird, alright. Everyone leaves behind digital traces, no exception. But in this case, nothing. It's almost like Limburger knew we…", she trailed off.  
Of course. The fish may be a lot of things, he wasn't stupid.  
Wasn't he? Ehm… well, let's just say that he does have his bright moments once in a while.  
"He knows you're here", Throttle sighed. "And he knows what you're capable of."  
"Great. Just great", Carbine snorted.  
"So, that means we've gotta play this the old fashioned way. We still have the element of surprise, he has no idea we know about her", Stoker mused. "We have two options, actually. One; we'll do this this Biker Mice style, meaning; blast our way in, smash everything in sight, grab the girl and get the hell out. But I've got me a feeling down there that Limburger is gonna be prepared. Two; we sneak. Sneak inside, find the girl and sneak back out before anybody knows we're there…"  
Kiwi was listening to all this with a thoughtful frown on her face.  
"Really? That's it? That's your war strategy?", she asked with disbelief.  
Stoker shrugged.  
"Without having any information that can help us to make a _real_ plan... Yeah, it is."  
"Hate to say it, coach, but Kiwi has a point. I know we're good, but Limburger is ready for an attack and with these goddamn rats fighting for him, there might be a chance we may… ahum… not sure how to put this, but… lose?", Throttle pointed out with caution.  
"Lose? We _never_ lose, Throttle. Rule number one in the Freedom Fighters handbook!"  
"Maybe, but we can lose people we love. The life of Vinnie's sister is at stake here, Stoke."  
"I know, I know…", Stoker sighed defeated.  
"Maybe we need to let this all sink in for now, sleep over it and tomorrow… Tomorrow there's a new day…", Carbine said softly.  
"For once I agree with Carbine", Kiwi nodded.  
This wasn't gonna take them anywhere. And Vinnie's sister may be in danger, but they all knew she was part of something bigger. Meaning, the big cheese needed her and wasn't gonna kill her.  
Yet.  
They had some time. Maybe it wasn't much, but it was something.  
Stoker agreed, albeit with reluctance. Throttle opened his mouth, but then closed it and nodded.  
Sometimes, you needed to take a little distance to see the solution. Because most of the time, it was right under your nose, staring back at you.  
But at this point, they were all too tired, too hungry and too frustrated to see it.  
So, he rose on his feet.  
"Let's go eat."

Vinnie was lying in bed, trying to get some sleep, but his brains just didn't let him.  
He was restless. Very restless. That had more than one reason, actually.  
One; Kiwi had acted strange this night. He'd asked her what the whole fuss this afternoon was about, I mean, she had told him herself that she was gonna search for answers. But she had reacted evasively, and that concerned him. Because he could sense there was something wrong, but she clearly didn't want to tell him. Which was weird, because she normally was an open book to him. Certainly to him.  
Two; Throttle, Carbine and Stoker had the same attitude as Kiwi, making clear to Vinnie that they were in the same conspiracy as Kiwi. Meaning; shit was about to get real and they kept it from him. Just like they kept it from Modo. But the gray furred giant didn't care that much as Vinnie. He wasn't one that needed to know everything, only because he was afraid to get excluded. Vinnie was. He hated it to be excluded. It gave him the feeling he wasn't important. And come on. He was Vinnie van Wham. The baddest mamma jammer from this side of the asteroid belt, Motocross Champion of the Galaxy and most of all; he was an important member of the team. So why were they hiding things?  
Three; He was stuck on this base for days now and he was bored. Very bored.  
So, these things added together made the fine conclusion that he was restless. And that were the things he could name. Because, next to all that shit he already knew, there was also a nagging feeling of anxiety from which he had no idea where it came from. But it was there and it made him feel even more hyper.  
He turned on his side, letting out a heavy sigh.  
Man, the things he would do for a good fight.  
Modo suddenly let out a loud snore while turning around and Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
At least someone was having a good night. Ugh.  
Throttle, who was sleeping in his own bed for already a few nights now, was also deeply asleep.  
Vinnie sighed again, rolling on his belly.  
Dammit, that unexplained feeling was gnawing on his insides, making his stomach turn. His tail lashed through the air in annoyance.  
Fuck me.  
How in the world was he gonna be able to sleep while feeling this restless? While feeling this hyped up?  
Think happy thoughts, Vinnie my man. Think happy thoughts.  
So, he let his mind wander to Kiwi, to every moment he had with her since the day they met.  
And finally, after a few hours, his eyes became heavy and he fell into a deep, but still restless, sleep.

Throttle woke up from a loud bang and he jerked upright, while grabbing his glasses. When he had them on, he soon relaxed a little.  
No attack. No bombs. No guns. Most important; no Plutarkians.  
By the looks of things, Vinnie was having one of his nightmares again and his lashing tail had smashed one of the lamps from the nightstand.  
But hey, what's new?  
Throttle wondered why they still bothered to give Vinnie a lamp next to his bed. It always ended up broken, one way or another.  
His gaze landed on Modo, but the gray furred giant lay with his back to him, clearly still asleep. No surprise there, you could drop a bomb next to his bed and even then the guy wouldn't wake up. One of the many reasons they never slept alone. It was a miracle to say at least that the big fella had woken up that night the alarm went off. That night Limburger escaped.  
But then again, it wasn't exactly _planned_ that the big guy would sleep alone. But of course, Vinnie had to be the one who stayed with Kiwi without consulting them. So, since Vinnie wasn't really reliable in that area, Throttle had decided to sleep in his own bed from now on. That was how things worked here, after all. It wasn't exactly fair that he broke the rules only because his girlfriend happened to be a General. Or because he was good friends with Stoker, the leader. But of course, there were a few moments he couldn't resist breaking them.  
He was a man, after all. And men had their needs.  
But right now, all of this didn't matter. Throttle was having a inner conflict whether he needed to wake his younger bro up or to let him sleep. He knew Vinnie handled his demons better in his sleep, and that's saying something if you saw how the white furred mouse was twisting and turning, his fur soaked with sweat.  
But sometimes, Throttle just wanted to wake him up and tell him everything was okay. That he was safe. That he was there for him.

While the tan furred mouse was still having his inner debat, Vinnie suddenly jerked upright, his teeth clenched to keep his scream inside. His eyes were wide open and he breathed heavily as he looked around him wildly. And the weirdest thing; his antennas were glowing softly.  
Okay, that's new...  
"Wow, wow, settle down, Vincent", Throttle quickly said, but he stayed in his bed, knowing his younger bro hated it when someone came close to him after waking up from one of his night terrors.  
Vinnie took a few deep breaths and calmed down a little. But he breathed heavily, his fingers clenched around the blankets.  
The glow around his antennas slowly faded, but the tips still gave away a soft light.  
And it wasn't red. It was blue.  
Weird. Beyond weird.  
Throttle had never seen anything like it. But he tried to stay calm.  
"Bad dream?", he asked, trying to sound nonchalant while staring at the soft light.  
Vinnie slowly nodded, looking very confused. He rubbed the side of his head, letting out a soft groan.  
"Man, my head is feeling like I've been hit by a fucking truck…"  
Throttle slid outta bed, not caring anymore if his younger wanted him close or not. Something was up, and he wanted to know what.  
"Why are you looking at me like that?", Vinnie asked, a little suspicious when he saw the look on his older bro's face.  
But another sting in his head made him squeeze his eyes and he bit his lower lip.  
Throttle sat down next to him and studied him closely.  
"Do you remember what you've dreamed about just now?", he asked.  
Vinnie turned his head away, clearly not in the mood to talk right now.  
But this time, Throttle pushed further.  
"I need you to tell me, Vincent. I've got the feeling this wasn't a normal dream."  
Vinnie shrugged.  
"I can't remember…", he said stubborn, but Throttle knew him better than anyone else and he could tell the white furred mouse was lying.  
"You're good in a lotta things, Vin, but lying ain't one of them."  
Vinnie grabbed his head, his ears drooped. The tips of his antennas were still glowing and Vinnie saw the soft, blue light reflecting on the walls.  
He suddenly felt a hint of panic.  
"Throttle, what the hell is going on, my head is killing me…", he managed to squeeze out, his breathing already faster again.  
It suddenly hit Throttle as if he got struck by lighting.  
His sister. They were twins. She was close, closer than she ever was for the past few years.  
Suddenly, he remembered what Stoker had told him years ago, when he was learning to be a Mind Walker.

" _Twins share a connection that's already created while they're still safe in their momma's belly. It's stronger than a single child will ever have with his brothers and sisters. I've heard stories about twins being seperated, but still able to sense the distress of their other half, even if they were miles away from each other..."_

Shit.  
Shit, shit, shit.  
Throttle grabbed Vinnie by the arm and the white furred mouse looked up surprised by the tight grip of his bro.  
The poor guy looked almost cross eyed because of the pain in his head.  
"Vincent, tell me about your dream and that's an order!"  
Throttle hated to be so stern right now, but there wasn't exactly a choice. If Vinnie was gonna find out his sister was alive and kicking, probably trying to reach him by telepathy as we speak, well… the consequences will be incalculable.  
But because he was so scared that his younger bro would find out, he didn't realize his reaction, his whole attitude, only encouraged Vinnie to get suspicious that there was something Throttle wasn't telling him. Maybe not immediately, but still… Vinnie wasn't stupid.  
Vinnie, clearly annoyed by the tan furred mouse his attitude, yanked himself free. But he did answer the question.  
Orders are orders, right?  
"It was about my sister, okay? That's all I can remember. Happy now?", he snapped at his leader.  
No.  
No, he wasn't happy.  
At all.  
Throttle studied Vinnie's face, the white furred mouse clearly didn't link this two events together. But what did he expect? The guy was convinced she was dead, after all. He needed to chill. What were the odds that the young mouse was gonna guess that something was very wrong? Something that Throttle knew about, but kept for himself?  
Zero.  
Nada.  
So, the tan furred mouse took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
"I'm sorry, I just...", but before he could continue, Vinnie's face suddenly became blank.  
Throttle trailed off, staring at his younger bro.  
Zero, nada, huh? Unless the white furred mouse decided to use his brains for once.  
No. Please, don't use your brains, not now… Certainly not now...  
Vinnie's eyes grew big and he wrinkled his nose while his head slowly turned to Throttle, looking at his leader with fuming eyes.  
Too late. Shit.  
Abort, abort!  
"No normal dream, 'ey? Ain't that the words you used just now?", he asked slowly, his voice low.  
Code red, code red!  
Throttle closed his eyes for a moment, but he was speechless. Hiding something from his bro was one thing, but lying straight into his face, well…  
"You know something. Something that I don't", Vinnie stated, his nose still wrinkled in confusion and anger. "And you're gonna tell me what it is, right here, right now."  
"Vinnie, I... "  
" _Don't_ … don't lie to me. Don't you dare to lie to me."  
Pain was now clearly hearable in Vinnie's voice and it broke Throttle's heart. His younger bro was right. He couldn't lie to him. Not after everything they'd been through together. He couldn't break that trust.  
They were too close. He was too important.  
"Okay, okay. Listen carefully. What I'm about to tell ya, well… you ain't gonna like it, okay? You have to promise me you won't do anything stupid after I tell ya, okay?"  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on, spill it."  
" _Promise me_ , Vincent."  
Vinnie rubbed the side of his head in a weak attempt to reduce the pain.  
"Fine, I promise."  
Throttle took a deep breath.  
"We've found your sister."

* * *

Oh no, another cliffhanger, hehehe.  
What will be Vinnie's reaction now he knows?

I hope you guys liked the part with Modo and Amira, I'm still having a hard time writing about Modo, not sure why.  
But he deserves, just like everyone else in this story, his place in the spotlight sometimes. So, I'll just keep trying.

So, feel free to leave a review, it always makes my day, and till next time!  
Later dudes!


	56. Chapter 55

You guys… My loyal readers...

Thank you so much for the reviews.  
Very much appreciated.

I guess I need to warn you guys.  
I think I had the unexplained urge to write about drama.  
Because oh my, the drama…  
This chapter is gonna be tense.  
Shit is about to get real.

Hope you guys won't hate me for it, bwhaha.  
Enjoy ^^

* * *

 **Chapter fifty five**

Vinnie stared at Throttle as if he had just caught fire.  
"You… You've… my... ", he stuttered, but he shook his head, ignoring the pain. "Wait, _what_?"  
Throttle gave him some time to process this before he would continue, keeping a close eye on him.  
Vinnie stared at the floor now, his brains making overtime.  
This was impossible. This was not happening.  
She was dead. He knew she was dead.  
Because immediately after they found out that she was missing, he had felt her dying. He had felt how the connection slowly faded until there was nothing left but a void.  
A empty, dark void.  
Throttle must be mistaking.  
But then again, since when did Throttle actually make mistakes?  
He suddenly remembered what Throttle had said.

" _You ain't gonna like this…"_

Why in the world had the tan furred mouse insisted that he would promise not to do anything stupid?  
"Where is she?"  
He hardly recognized his own voice. Shaky. Thick of emotions.  
Ugh. Was this ever gonna end?  
"Limburger has her…", Throttle answered his question with caution.  
The words echoed in his head. And suddenly, everything made sense.  
The anxiety.  
The restlessness.  
His dream.  
His headache.  
His glowling antenna.  
She was trying to reach him. She needed him.

" _Limburger has her… Limburger has her… Limburger has her…"_

The words repeated in his head, over and over again.  
Throttle was watching him closely, and tensed when he saw the look on Vinnie's face.  
Shit was about to get real.  
And oh, how right he was.

The white furred mouse grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against the wall in one movement. His nose almost touched Throttle's, his teeth clenched. And pain, anger, confusion, but also determination was whirling in his ruby red eyes.  
"You knew this. You knew, and you didn't tell me. Why?"  
Throttle took Vinnie's index finger from his hand around his throat and bowed it the other way, leaving the white furred mouse no other option but to let go, before his bro could break his finger. Throttle then grabbed his arm, turned it on his back and pushed his angry and hurt little bro against the wall.  
"Because of this, Vincent. Because you have the tendency to react a little… impulsive. To let your emotions take over. And because of that, you could end up dead. The last thing I want, is to lose you. You've got that?", Throttle hissed in Vinnie's ear, his voice even more husky because of emotions.  
Dammit. He should've told him. This was so much worse. This was…  
This was a mistake.  
Vinnie breathed heavily, still being pushed against the wall by his older bro. The pain in his head was almost overwhelming, but the pain in his heart was even worse.  
He felt betrayed like never before.  
His leader, his bro, his mentor, his… father figure, had lied to him.  
"You still had no right to keep this from me…", he managed to bring out, his voice raw of pain.  
"I know. I was wrong."  
That simple statement hit Vinnie straight in the heart. Deep down, he understood where Throttle was coming from, really, he did.  
But the pain, from both his head and heart, pushed it away. This was too much.  
What the fuck was happening?  
"Throttle, my head…"  
The tan furred mouse let him go.  
Vinnie turned around and slid down with his back against the wall, holding his head with both hands.  
Throttle kneeled down in front of him, a worried look on his face. He had no idea what was going on. Not really. He had never seen this before. So how was he gonna be able to stop the pain? It was obvious Vinnie wasn't gonna take it much longer.

Suddenly, he heard a low groan behind him and he almost made a small victory dance. Right on time, big fella.  
"Modo! Go get Stoker, _now_!", he ordered, while looking over his shoulder.  
The gray furred giant looked back dazed, but then, he shook his head and jumped outta his bed.  
"On it", and he quickly left the room with wobbling legs.  
He had absolutely no idea what was going on, but it was clear now wasn't the time to ask questions. Most certainly not.  
The tone in Throttle's voice had said it all.  
Immediate action was required. And so he did.  
He was a soldier, after all.

Meanwhile, Kiwi was also twisting and turning, not able to get some sleep at all. A nasty headache had made its way to her temples and her stomach was cramped because of anxiety. But most of all, her brains kept reminding her of her failure this afternoon.  
And she had the nagging feeling she'd missed something.  
Something important.  
With a sigh, she sat upright, massaging her temples with closed eyes. She forced herself to go back to that moment, that moment when she found out about the money.  
Blackout.  
Shit.  
Again.  
After trying a few times, she let out a raw scream in frustration.  
"Argh! What is it that you're trying to tell me, you stupid brain?!"  
Flatline.  
Kiwi grabbed her pillow and was about to throw it against the wall, when she suddenly froze.  
Oh.  
That's it.  
What?  
No way…  
She jumped outta bed and grabbed her tablet, quickly going back to Limburger's financial page.  
Kiwi's eyes grew big.  
Shit.  
How was it even possible that she had missed this?  
But just like Carbine had said, they had needed some time to let it all sink in.  
Her brains had registered this small detail, only to let it disappear to the back of her mind.  
But this changed everything.  
She quickly put on some clothes, for the first time not even bothered by the merciless cold of the Martian nights.  
Dammit, she was restless like a kid with ADHD. What the hell was going on?  
No time. She needed to talk to Throttle. Right now.

Stoker rushed inside the room, followed by Carbine and Modo. Vinnie was still sitting on the ground, his fingers clenched around the fur on his head, breathing heavily. Throttle jumped at his feet to give Stoker some space and the brown furred mouse kneeled in front of Vinnie, studying him closely.  
"What is going on, punk?", he asked while his gaze landed on the glowing antennas.  
"He knows, Stoke. About his sister. And I think she's trying to reach him. But I've got no idea why he's in so much pain…", Throttle quickly explained, and Carbine took his hand to let him know she was there for him. He gave her a grateful smile before he turned his gaze back on the two mice who were sitting on the floor.  
"His sister?", Modo asked confused.  
Throttle signed that he would explain later.  
Stoker nodded while reaching out his hand and his fingertip softly touched the tip of one of Vinnie's antennas.  
The white furred mouse groaned and pushed Stoker away. It was clear that Stoker's touch only made things worse.  
"Okay, I think I know what's going on here…", the leader mumbled.  
Vinnie was still holding the fur on his head with so much force, that they were all surprised he wasn't bald already.  
"Listen, pu.. I mean, Vinnie. Your sister is indeed trying to reach out to ya, but your mind is blocking her. Ya know, like ehm… some sorta firewall. That's giving the immense headache, your brain is fighting a small war at this moment. You need to let her in."  
Vinnie shook his head, his eyes squeezed.  
"I.. I can't. I don't know how and I don't wanna know", he groaned.  
"Stubborn as always", Stoker sighed. "But it's not like you really have a choice, punk. I'll help ya, okay? You just need to trust me."  
"T-trust ya? Are you kidding me? After you…", but the white furred mouse couldn't talk further because of the immense pain in his head, which only got worse.  
He banged the back of his head against the wall, an attempt to deal with the sharp stings in his head. But, of course, it didn't exactly worked that way.  
And he suddenly couldn't take it anymore.  
His eyes flew open and he grabbed Stoker's shirt, pulling him closer.  
"Make it stop. Do whatever you need to do, but _make it stop_!", he growled between clenched teeth.

At that point, Kiwi ran inside the room.  
"Throttle! Throttle, listen, I… _oh_ …"  
She stopped death in her tracks when she saw that almost the whole group was here, all gathered around Vinnie who was sitting on the floor, holding Stoker's shirt. She noticed his glowing antennas and he was clearly upset and in pain.  
Shit.  
"Vinnie, what's going on, are you okay?", she asked while pushing Carbine and Modo away to come closer.  
But Throttle stopped her.  
"You need to give him some space, Kiwi. Stoker is gonna help him, he'll be fine."  
But his voice told her otherwise. She looked up at him and he gave her a small nod, confirming her fear.  
Dammit. He knew.  
It did explain her headache, her anxiety and restlessness though. That wasn't hers. It was Vinnie's.  
"What the hell is going on?", she hissed, but Throttle held his finger against his lips.  
"Later", he whispered, bringing his focus back on Stoker and Vinnie.  
Kiwi followed his gaze and her heart cried. Her poor macho mouse was a mess, she could tell. She wanted to be there for him, hold him, kiss him, tell him that everything was gonna be okay. But something stopped her. If he knew, he probably also found out that she'd lied to him. And she wasn't sure how he was feeling about that. So, she stayed where she was.

Stoker's antennas started to glow and he leaned forward, making contact with Vinnie's. The white furred mouse his eyes grew big for a moment, but then rolled back and his whole body became limp. Stoker was holding him, to avoid he was gonna topple over, his eyes closed and concentration written on his face.  
Throttle used this time to quickly tell the rest what happened.  
Kiwi grabbed Throttle's arm.  
"So he knows we lied to him?", she asked. She needed to know.  
"Yeah, he knows, alright. Man, I should've followed my instinct, I made the wrong choice and my whole body was trying to tell me that."  
"Throttle…", Carbine started, but Throttle shook his head.  
"It was wrong, Carbine. That's just how it is."  
"His sister?", Modo asked again, clearly having a hard time to process all this.  
Throttle sighed heavily, rubbing his temples.  
This was, again, one of those days, well nights, in this case. It started to become a habit.  
Not good.

Suddenly, Stoker cleared his throat and they all turned around to look at him. The brown furred mouse looked back tiredly, the glow around his antennas slowly fading.  
"I did the best I could. Let's just hope for the best… Big fella, give me a hand here, will ya?", and with help from Modo, they lay Vinnie, who was still out like a light, on his bed.  
"He can wake up any second and then we'll know for sure if it was good enough."  
"What did ya do?", Kiwi asked worried, but also curious.  
"Hard to explain, but lemme try; I removed the blockade, let her in, and then muted her."  
Kiwi blinked a few times. This whole mind thing really was something, alright.  
Throttle scratched his neck, a confused look on his face.  
"Why did he block her in the first place? It's his sister..."  
"Because his mind was convinced that she was dead."  
"Weird…", Carbine mumbled.  
"Not that weird. How do ya think the world would look like if we all just send distress signals to each other, completely outta the blue, completely unorganized? It would drive people insane, that's what. It's some kinda safety measure that we all have ever since we're born. We only let signals in from the people we know and who we love. That's why we connect. But the punk here thought his sis was dead. So, his mind had blocked her, without him even knowing it. It's just how our brains work."  
"But you _muted_ her?", Carbine asked, still not quite understanding the whole thing.  
"Yeah, because if I don't, it's too much for him to take in. He just found out that his sis is alive and kicking. That's already shocking enough. So, no need for him to feel what she's feeling."  
"That's unusual sweet of ya", Kiwi said softly.  
"Hey, pretty lady. I do care about him, ya know. A lot. Maybe we doesn't always agree, but he's still one of my best students, same goes for Throttle and Modo. We go way back."

There was a silence for a moment, but then Throttle turned to Kiwi.  
"You gave me impression earlier that there was something urgent you needed to tell me."  
Kiwi breathed in sharply. Dammit, she completely had forgotten about the whole reason she was here in the first place. But this whole thing with Vinnie had distracted her. Not that surprising.  
"Oh! Yeah, listen to this; I was lying in bed and couldn't sleep, having the feeling I'd missed something this afternoon while looking into Limburger's financial situation. I couldn't figure out what, but suddenly it hit me", she babbled while grabbing her tablet.  
"Look", and she showed Throttle the page, pointing at the thing that worried her.  
Throttle stared at it.  
"You need to help me out here, Kiwi. Where am I looking at?", he asked a little sheepishly.  
"You're looking at a frozen account", Kiwi answered.  
"I'm not sure if I follow ya, Kiwi ma'am", Modo said while looking over Throttle's shoulder at the tablet.  
"His account is frozen. That can only mean one thing: he's out. The Plutarkians cut him off."  
"So?", Carbine asked, clearly impatient.  
"So, that means Limburger is on his own now, probably feeling betrayed, mocked and ashamed. Betrayed. Desperate."  
Everybody stared at her, clearly at loss. She sighed agitated.  
"Limburger has got nothing to lose, not anymore. He just became twice the treat he already was, desperate to do _anything_ so his people will accept him again. Will embrace him. Will see him as their leader. We all know how he is. He needs recognition. Come on, for mice who are supposed to have super brains you guys really are slow! Vinnie's sister is in serious danger! We've gotta act, and with that I mean; right now!"  
Carbine looked at Stoker, who nodded.  
"Guess it's time to wake up some soldiers, ask them if they're up for a little rumbling with rats and a big, ugly Plutarkian to save the damsel in distress", the light grey furred female said determined and quickly left the room.  
Throttle and Modo quickly grabbed their clothes and started to prepare themselves.  
Stoker also left the room to help Carbine set up a team.

"I'm coming with ya with this one, guys."  
"No dice, Kiwi. It's way up the dangerous scale and you know it", Throttle stopped her.  
"But I wanna help. I wanna set thing straight. You were right, ya know. We made the wrong choice. We should've told him. Just like we should've told you, big fella", she said the last part towards Modo.  
"Maybe, but I ain't holding no grudge, Kiwi ma'am. Sometimes, you just need to do what ya have to do", the gray furred giant answered, pulling on a warm and big hoodie.  
But before Kiwi could say something back, Vinnie jerked upright with a growl.  
"What the…", he breathed, rubbing his head and blinking a few times.  
But the pain in his head was gone. He saw Throttle, Modo and Kiwi staring at him. And it suddenly hit him like a hammer.  
His sister. Limburger.  
Throttle who'd lied to him. So did Stoker. And Carbine. And…  
His gaze landed on Kiwi, and the look on her face, the guilt in her eyes, confirmed his thoughts.  
And so did Kiwi.  
A sharp pain jolted through his chest. She'd lied to him. After everything they'd been through, after being there for her since the day they met, after telling her how much he loved her… She'd lied straight to his face.  
Wauw.  
Harsh. Painful. Almost embarrassing.  
He had let her in. He had lowered his walls. He had gave her his heart and soul.  
He had done all of that, even if he promised himself to never do that again. But he did. Because he'd thought she was different.  
But apparently, she wasn't.  
"Vinnie, I…", Kiwi started, but the white furred mouse stopped her.  
" _Don't_. Just… don't…"  
Kiwi's face darkened, her eyes filled with tears.  
"Vincent, it was my call, okay? If you want someone to blame, take me. Kiwi just did what I told her", Throttle intervened, walking towards his younger bro.  
But Vinnie jumped at his feet while ignoring his leader and put on some clothes. After pulling his black hoodie over his head, he collected most of the weapons that he was keeping in his room.  
"And where do ya think you're going?", Throttle asked.  
"I'm gonna do what already should've been done. I'm gonna go get my sister", Vinnie answered shortly, his voice low of suppressed anger.  
His heart was pounding in his chest, his whole body was vibrating, and he knew he was close to losing it. But he tried to keep his cool, because he knew he was gonna need this anger in his fight to get his sis out. But it wasn't easy. He'd never felt this betrayed and that was saying something, since he practically grew up in a warzone. But this…  
"We're coming with ya, Vin", Modo mentioned.  
"Whatever. As if you can keep up with me", the white furred mouse snarled and he walked past Kiwi towards the door, ignoring her completely.  
Kiwi grabbed his arm.  
"Vinnie, please, stop… I'm sorry, don't leave like this… What if you don't come back?", she cried, tears streaming down her face.  
Man, the look on his face, the pain in his eyes…  
She really had hurt him. Deeply. And it made her feel sick to the stomach.  
Vinnie stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. But the pain, the anger to compensate the pain, took over. He opened his eyes and looked down on her, a ice cold look on his face.  
"You and me? We're done."  
Her hand slipped off his arm and his heart broke a little more when he saw the look on her face, a combination from regret, panic and confusion.  
But the anger pushed it away. It was her who had taken the decision to not to be honest to him, after all. Not him. Certainly not him.  
He would never do that. Not like this.  
And so, after giving her one more glare, he left the room without looking back.

Kiwi just stood there, staring at the empty doorway, completely dazed. But slowly, the pain crawled inside and she fell on her knees.  
"No…", she whispered.  
Throttle and Modo shared a quick look. They needed to follow Vinnie, but leaving Kiwi behind like this…  
Modo came into action and kneeled down next to Kiwi.  
"Don't give up yet, Kiwi ma'am. Things aren't lost, even if it looks like they are. Go to Amira, she'll help ya, support ya… You shouldn't be alone right now. And I would've stayed by your side myself if I could. But we need to go after Vinnie, to make sure he's gonna be okay, you know that right?"  
Kiwi slowly nodded, still staring at the door.  
"Go. Go, and bring him home safely…"

Vinnie marched straight towards the garage, pushing everybody away who happened to be in his way. Apparently, Carbine and Stoker had collected a team to go rescue his sister.  
Ugh. Why now and not when they had found out that Limburger has got her in his slimy fins?  
Why did they go behind his back?  
Why did they make the decision to do the things the way they had done?  
Fuck them. Fuck them all.  
Vinnie couldn't _believe_ that his bro, his coach and his girl had thought that keeping this from him was a good choice. That Carbine would do such a thing wasn't that much of a surprise. But from them...  
To protect him because he was impulsive, ugh, come on!  
As if Throttle wouldn't run out the moment he would hear his little sis was still alive and a prisoner at Limburger Tower. That wasn't being impulsive. That was caring for the ones you loved.  
They should've told him. They should've helped him to get her out.  
As a team. Because that's what they were, right?  
A team.  
No. Not anymore.  
Family. Friends. Love.  
It all needed only _one_ thing as foundation. To keep it strong. To keep it real.  
Trust.  
He trusted them. He trusted them with his life. And they just violated that trust without even blinking.  
I mean, there were lies and there were… _lies.  
_ Not telling him that his sister, his own flesh and blood for fuck sake, was alive and needed him was crossing a line that should never have been crossed.  
He'd asked Kiwi what was wrong. And she'd looked him straight into his eyes while telling him everything was fine.  
Unbelievable.  
Unforgivable.  
And right before he disappeared into the garage, he yanked Kiwi's earring outta his ear and let it slip through his fingers.  
He hardly heard the soft tinkling sound when it touched the floor.  
Done.

Throttle and Modo rushed through the hallways into the direction of the garage. When they were close, they suddenly spotted Carbine and Stoker, who were, by the looks of things, also ready to go. A small team with around thirty soldiers was standing in front of them, listening to the short briefing Carbine gave about this mission. And one of the soldiers was Rimfire.  
"Oh momma…", Modo breathed.  
Throttle quickly walked towards the group and grabbed Carbine by the arm.  
"We need to go, now. Vinnie is already gone."  
Carbine nodded and looked at the group.  
"You heard him. Let's go."  
Modo hesitated for a moment, he wanted to tell Rimfire that this was too dangerous.  
That he needed to sit this one out.  
That he was having a bad feeling about this one.  
But Throttle already grabbed him by the arm and dragged him with him.  
"I know what you think, big fella, but Rimfire ain't no kid anymore. I know it's hard, but this is our life. His life too. You can't stop him from wanting to fight for what's ours. And we need to go. Now."  
Modo let out his breath, knowing Throttle was right. But even if Rimfire was all grown up now, it was still his little nephew. And letting him go, letting him fight this war where all these awful things happened, well… that was almost impossible.  
But right now, Vinnie needed them.

Once in the garage, Throttle mounted his bike and so did Modo.  
"Me and Modo will try to catch up with Vinnie", the tan furred mouse said into the radio while starting the engine. His bike came to life loudly roaring, clearly ready to drive out after standing in the garage for a couple of days now.  
"Copy that, we'll be right behind ya. Now go!", Carbine replied.  
Modo and Throttle fist bumped, closed their visor and popped a wheelie.  
"Let's ride!" and they sped away, the rest of the group following shortly after them.

Just after everybody was gone, Amira ran inside the garage.  
"Modo!", she yelled, but she realized she was too late when she saw the empty garage.  
She had no idea what the hell was going on, but it was clear that something was very wrong.  
Letting out a heavily sigh, she turned around and walked back into the base. When she closed the door behind her, her eye suddenly caught a glitter on the floor. She bend over and took the object.  
It was a earring.  
Kiwi's earring, to be precise. Amira recognized the small black diamond. How the hell did that thing ended up here?  
She shrugged and put it in her pocket, to keep it safe till she could give it back and started her journey back to her room.  
When she walked around the corner close to her room, she suddenly saw something sitting huddled in front of her door. She raised one eyebrow and slowly walked closer, but when she recognized the small bundle, she immediately ran towards it.  
"Kiwi! Jesus, are you okay?", she asked worried, kneeling down.  
The human girl was just sitting there, holding herself tightly while silent tears streamed down her face. Her eyes were wide open and her breathing was shallow, as if she was in shock or something.  
"Come on, let's get you inside", and Amira gently helped Kiwi up.  
Once inside, she guided the upset human girl to her bed and helped her sit down.  
She kneeled down in front of her, tucking her hair behind her ear.  
"Hey girl, what's wrong? Talk to me…"  
"He left me…", Kiwi whispered so softly, that Amira almost missed it.  
"Who left you?"  
"Vinnie…"  
"What are ya talking about?", Amira asked confused. "He's on a mission, but he'll come back, right?"  
Suddenly, Kiwi grabbed her by the shoulders.  
"You don't understand, he _left_ me. He broke up with me. We're done… That's what he said… We're done…."  
Her voice broke.  
Amira stared at her.  
Say what?  
"Oh my sweet Kiwi, come here…", and she sat down next to the human girl and pulled her in her arms.  
Kiwi buried her nose in her fur, but it only made her more upset.  
"You don't smell like him…", she sobbed, holding Amira tightly.  
Amira's heart broke a little by hearing the pain in her voice, by hearing these heartbreaking words.  
Poor girl…

She let Kiwi cry for now, rubbing her back and whispering sweet words in Martian in her ear. Her mother used to do that while she was growing up. Everytime when she was upset, and it always made her feel calm, even if she had no idea what her mother was actually saying. Well, not really. But the sounds of the words were sufficient.  
Slowly, Kiwi calmed down a little, but only enough to be able to talk.  
"Now, tell me what happened", Amira said friendly.  
Kiwi did. It took a while before she was able to get out the whole story, bursting into tears from time to time, but in the end, Amira had a slight idea of what was going on.  
She tucked Kiwi's hair behind her ears again and noticed she was wearing two different earrings.  
One was the black diamond, the same as the one Amira was having in her pocket right now and the other…  
Oh my.  
They were _engaged.  
_ And the earring in her pocket belonged to Vinnie.  
Well, it used to belong to him…  
No.  
It still belonged to him.  
Amira refused to believe they were really done.  
She'd seen the way how the white furred mouse looked at Kiwi.  
He was crazy about her. _More_ than crazy about her.  
"Kiwi, listen to me. I don't wanna give ya the feeling I don't take this seriously, and the last thing I want is to give ya false hope, but things aren't lost yet. You told me yourself, Vinnie is a impulsive mouse. He reacts primary, without thinking. There's still a chance he did this because he was confused, angry and most of all; deeply hurt."  
But Kiwi shook her head, her eyes swollen. She looked up at Amira and the honey coloured mouse was taking back by the look in her eyes.  
As if she was dead inside.  
Maybe she was.  
"You didn't see the way he looked at me. There's no hope, whatsoever…"  
"Maybe, maybe not. But I've seen the way how he looked at you before all this. I may not know him that well, but when it comes to you, he's a open book. He loves you. Deeply. It's even more than love. But you hurt him. So, maybe now it feels throwing that all away may be the right choice. But he'll come around. Eventually. I just know he does."  
But Kiwi didn't believe her, she could tell.  
That's okay. First things first.  
First, let them all come home safely.  
And then, when the dust had settled, she would talk to Vinnie.

Vinnie pushed his bike to the limits, avoiding the boobytraps by swirling past them. His ears picked up the familiar sound of his bro's bikes.  
"Vinnie, I know you're upset and you have every right to be, but we need to talk things through instead of just throw ourselves in front of a group of hungry lions", he heard Throttle's husky, but this time not that calm, voice in his radio. He ignored him and hit the accelerator.  
"Vincent, stop! You don't know what we're dealing with, there's something you need to know about Limbu…"  
Vinnie shut down his radio before his bro could finish his sentence, not caring at all what the tan furred mouse was trying to tell him. There was only one thing that needed to be done, and that was getting his sister out.  
Mireya… He wondered how she looked like nowadays. The last time he'd seen her, they were both sixteen years old. Ten years ago, but it felt like ages.  
Man. It was as if it only now dawned on him.  
His sister. He was about to see his sister again. His heart started to beat faster, his lips curled into a small smile.  
He wasn't alone anymore.  
And he gained even more speed, suddenly eager to see her. To hold her. To hear her voice.  
To tell her she wasn't alone anymore either.

Finally, the tower came into view and Vinnie stopped on the same hill where he and his bro's had stopped the last time they had been here. He opened his visor and checked the surrounding. But it was deserted.  
Somewhere, deep down, in the darkest caves of his brains, he knew this was weird. That this could be a trap. And that it wasn't exactly _sane_ to go on this mission alone.  
But his pain, his anger and his eagerness to see his sister, to be her hero, pushed that all away.  
Besides; since when was he worried about being sane?  
His heartbeat rose, his muscles tensed, adrenaline came free and he was ready. Oh boy, he was ready.  
Ready to fight.  
Ready to blow things up.  
Ready to unleash himself.  
Because this was personal.  
And if Limburger was smart, he didn't show his ugly face tonight.  
Because Vinnie wasn't sure if he was gonna be able to restrain himself if he would.  
He knew the line between being a good or bad guy could be vague and blurry. And crossing it was almost as easy as snapping your fingers.  
He'd crossed it twice. It was horrible. Painful.  
But it gave such a powerful feeling at the same time.  
His ears suddenly twitched and he heard his bro's were close again. So, he closed his visor, popped a wheelie and dove off the hill.  
It's tail whipping time.

"God dammit, Vincent, STOP!", Throttle yelled when they stopped at the same spot where Vinnie was standing just seconds ago.  
But the white furred mouse ignored him.  
Again.  
"I don't like the looks of this place, Throttle", Modo mentioned while looking around him.  
"Me neither. But what choice do we have? We can't just let Vinnie dive in alone, now can we?"  
"Oh hell no. Even if he thinks he ain't need us, he sure as hell does."  
His eye followed the small dot that was his hurt and angry little bro, who was speeding towards the tower.  
Oh momma… Wish you were here. To calm things down. To give Vinnie the scolding he deserved, mixed with the love he so desperately needed.  
Just like the old days.  
But she ain't here, Modo Maverick. She's dead. It's up to you now.

With shrieking brakes, Carbine and Stoker stopped next to them.  
"It's way too quiet over here…", Stoker mumbled, while checking the surrounding.  
"Yeah, and Vinnie is…", Throttle started, but he didn't get the chance to finish that sentence.  
A bright light suddenly illuminated the dark environment and a huge video screen rose outta the top of the building.  
Ah well. Limburger always has been a little theatrical.  
After flickering for a few times, Limburger's smugly face appeared on the screen. He wasn't wearing his mask anymore and his real face was even more ugly.  
The mice stared at the screen, and Vinnie also hit the brakes while looking up.  
"Ahhh, my dear rodents. How nice of you to come for a visit. It's been a while…", the voice of Limburger echoed through the speakers.  
"I almost was starting to miss you. Almost… hehe…"  
Vinnie rolled his eyes and revved his bike, not having the patience to listen for even a _second_ longer to that slimeface. He pushed a few buttons and cannons and lasers popped outta different holes in his bike.  
"You can save yourself the speech, fucking slimeball", he growled, but Limburger started laughing again.  
"Oh, why am I not surprised to see it is _you_ who is leading the pack, desperate to save your little sister…"  
Vinnie froze and looked up.  
"If you only think about hurting so much of a hair on her body, you're a dead fish, ya hear me?", he screamed, his voice raw with anger.  
"Oh, but my dear boy… You really think I would do such a horrible thing? No, no… I am, as always, a reasonable fish. She will remain unharmed… if the Freedom Fighters, including you and your little friends, surrender…"  
"Right, I heard that before. You stepped way over the line this time. And I ain't making deals with a smelly Plutarkian like yourself. No more. We're way past that now!" and Vinnie hit the accelerator and sped further towards the building.  
"Wrong choice, mouse… But fine, if you insist…", Limburger sighed and suddenly, the doors opened and a whole army of rats drove out. At the same time, lasers and cannons popped outta the building, all aimed at the white furred mouse.  
But Vinnie wasn't impressed. He grabbed two of his laser guns outta his leg holsters and spinned them around his fingers.  
"You guys wanna rumble? Well then, bring it on!"  
He closed his visor and popped a wheelie.  
"Come on, sweetheart, show them what you've got."  
His bike beeped loudly, sped forward and opened fire.  
Vinnie pressed his knees against her sides and fired with both his laser guns, a smile spreading on his face.  
No matter how fucked up this all was, a fight was a fight. And he always, _always_ enjoyed a good fight. No exception.

He drove towards the rats, firing over and over again. But the rats weren't planning on losing and returned fire. So were the lasers and cannons on the building.  
Vinnie used his weight to avoid the shots and missiles, still firing.  
"AAAAOOWW, you're messing with the wrong mouse, you fucking rats! Eat my fire!"  
What he didn't notice, was that when he got closer to the building, the rats closed him in. But just when a huge rat behind him aimed his bazooka at Vinnie, with a evil smile on his ugly face, a missile exploded next to him, making him and everyone who was around him on a 2-mile square fly into the air.  
Vinnie quickly looked in his mirror when he heard the huge explosion and saw Stoker driving by, already firing the next missile. The white furred mouse turned his radio back on.  
"You ain't the only one who likes heavy artillery, punk", Stoker's voice echoed through the small speakers in his helmet.. "You're welcome, by the way."  
Vinnie gritted his teeth and ignored his coach, still pissed off. The adrenaline only fed it.  
"Freedom Fighters, _ATTACK_!", Stoker ordered and the rest of the group drove down the hill and threw themselves into chaos.  
Throttle and Modo quickly joined Vinnie, whether he liked it or not.  
"I can't _believe_ you've started this party without us, Vincent", Throttle chuckled in the radio, trying to sound like everything was okay.  
Like everything was normal.  
"Yeah, little bro, when you wanna dance, you need your partners!", Modo added, firing with both his bike and armcannon.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes and continued his warpath towards the building. But it wasn't easy. The rats sure knew how to put on a fight. But Vinnie had enough anger, adrenaline and frustration inside of him to give them one hell of a fight back.

The group of Fighters behind them tried to thin out the army of rats, leaded by Carbine. But that seemed a job that was destined to fail. Carbine hated to admit it, but they were outnumbered.  
This was crazy. This was a suicide mission.  
But retreat wasn't a option, not anymore. Vinnie had declared war and she knew they had to finish it. And she could only hope it wasn't gonna cost them too much.  
Suddenly, a huge explosion at the front caught her attention. Vinnie and Throttle made it out, so did Stoker, but Modo was having a hard time, since he was knocked off his bike because of the shockwave. When he tried to get up, two big rats drove towards him, one with a bazooka in his hand, both cackling like prairie dogs.  
"Shit", Carbine cursed and was about to make her way towards the helpless gray furred giant, but someone beat her to it.  
"Uncle Modo!"  
Rimfire came into view and sped towards his uncle. What he didn't saw was another rat who popped up next to him.  
"Rimfire, look out!", Carbine yelled in the radio, but it was too late.  
The rat fired and hit Rimfire full in the chest, and the young mouse let out a scream in pain. His bike wobbled and crashed, making Rimfire fly off. When he finally came to a halt, he was lying on his belly and didn't move.  
"NO! Rimfire!", Modo roared in anger and fear.  
The two rats who were coming towards him, got suddenly blown off their trikes and Stoker drove outta the cloud of dust.  
"Go get him, Modo my mouse."  
Modo whistled between his teeth and his bike stopped next to him. He jumped on and made his way to his wounded, hopefully alive little nephew.  
"Carbine, give Mode back up and make sure he can get the little rookie outta here in one piece", Stoker ordered through the radio.  
"Copy that, Stoke", Carbine replied and she whistled between her teeth.  
A few soldiers of their group joined her and they made sure Modo could reach Rimfire without getting killed in the process.  
Carbine shook her head angrily while knocking a rat off his trike.  
You see? A suicide mission.  
God dammit.  
But she did what she was trained for. She was gonna keep fighting and there was only one thing could stop her.  
Death.

Meanwhile, Vinnie and Throttle almost made it to the building. Stoker popped up behind them.  
"Throttle, Rimfire is hurt, Modo is gonna get him outta here. The rest stays behind us to take care of the rest of those damned rats. So, it's just the three of us to save the damsel in distress."  
"Copy that", Throttle answered shortly, using his knuck knocks to lift one of the trikes that was driving next to him and he threw it against the building. The rat quickly jumped out before the trike exploded, but unfortunately, he landed right in front of Vinnie.  
The white furred mouse hit the accelerator.  
"Get outta my way, loser", and he hit the rat with the front of his bike. Again, the rat flew in the air and landed meters away, but this time, he didn't stand up.

Slowly, but steadily, the mice started to win grounds. Even if they were outnumbered, they were angry. Well trained. Fighting for freedom and for the ones they loved.  
That was a drive the rat's lacked off.. So even if they were good, the mice were better.  
Perhaps that was the reason Limburger intervened.  
Because he saw that he, again, was losing the battle. That again, his scheme was about to fail.  
Or, perhaps he'd learned from his mistakes in the past and changed his, normally not that successful, way of working.  
They would never know. But the fact remained it happened.

" _ENOUGH! STOP THIS MADNESS_!"

His voice blared through the speakers. It was the desperate tone in it that made everybody stop and look up.  
Limburger was standing on top of the roof, looking down, his face twisted in anger.  
"You all seem to forget that I am holding the ace in the hand!"  
He reached behind him and Vinnie's heart skipped a beat.  
There she was.  
She really was here.  
His sister.  
"Mireya…", he whispered.  
She was beautiful. Even if her body clearly had suffered from whatever had happened to her in the past ten years, she still was beautiful.  
Duh. She was a van Wham, after all.  
Limburger was holding her by the arm, her hands tied behind her back. The wind was blowing through her hair and she was looking down in some sort of trance.  
By the looks of things, she didn't even notice the mice on the ground beneath the building. She was looking down as if it was some kinda salvation.  
That made Vinnie even more angry than he already was.  
His sister, his beautiful sister, had given up hope. They had broke her. Broke her spirit.  
And he knew like no other how much was needed to break the spirit of a van Wham.  
God dammit, was this ever gonna stop?  
The second time he asked himself that question this night.  
This was official a fucked up night.

Throttle saw the look on Vinnie's face, he saw how he tensed his muscles.  
"Vincent, don't do…"  
But before anyone could stop him, Vinnie revved his bike and fired his jets.  
"...anything stupid…", Throttle finished, starting to feel annoyed that the white furred mouse wasn't listening to him.  
Even worse, the guy ignored his entire existence.  
He gave Stoker a helpless look and the brown furred mouse signed they could drive up through the back of the building. Throttle nodded, closing his visor and followed Stoker.

Meanwhile, Vinnie landed on the roof and stopped his bike with shrieking brakes.  
"Let her go. _Now_."  
Mireya stiffened by hearing his voice. Her head slowly lifted and for a moment, she was just standing there with her back towards him.  
But then, she looked over her shoulder, her ruby red eyes wide open.  
"V-Vinnie?"  
Her voice was nothing more but a whisper. But it brought back so many memories by only hearing it.  
Vinnie let out his breath and pulled off his helmet.  
"Hey sis. Long time no see", he smiled.  
Honestly. Of all the things he could say to her…  
Mireya's lips curled into a small smile. Maybe hope wasn't lost yet.  
"Isn't this the most lovely reunion?", Limburger smiled, while turning him and Mireya around.  
Vinnie's face darkened when his gaze landed on the fish.  
"This is the last time I ask this politely, sewage breath. Let. The. Lady. Go. _Now_ …"  
"I'm afraid that's not possible, my dear boy. You see, the only way to save her, is to bend the knee. To bow the head for the Plutarkians! It is time that you, all of you miserable rodents, give up the fight. Look around you! You are fighting for nothing. Mars is lost."  
Vinnie stared at him. Say what?  
He vaguely reminded that Throttle had tried to tell him something about Limburger. Vinnie suddenly wished he had listened. Because there was indeed something very wrong with the fish. He wasn't wearing his mask, to start with. Nor was he wearing his beloved purple suit.  
And the look in his eyes was different.  
A hint of insanity.  
Strange.  
"You know Martian Mice will _never_ kneel. And Mars ain't lost yet", he growled at the fish.  
Limburger suddenly pushed Mireya closer to the edge and she almost lost her balance.  
Vinnie's eyes grew big and he ran a few steps forward.  
"No!"

But Limburger grabbed the white furred female right before she could fall down.  
"Do I have your attention now?"  
Vinnie took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. And he knew his hands were tied.  
Dammit. God dammit.  
"Vinnie, please… don't give up Mars on behalf of me. Our home. Our home is worth more than my life…", Mireya said softly.  
Vinnie looked at her, despair written on his face.  
"But I can't just let you die… I just got ya back…"  
They were staring in each others eyes, suddenly everything around them seemed to be forgotten. For a moment, it was only them.  
But roaring engines broke them outta it and Vinnie saw Throttle pop up at his left and Stoker at his right.  
"Cavalry!", Stoker cheered while firing his laser at the ropes around Mireya's hands.  
"What? No!", Limburger yelled and he reached out to the white furred female, his only hope to win this.  
His winning card.

It wasn't his intention. Clearly, it wasn't. He needed her, after all.  
But when he wanted to grab her, she tried to hit him at the same time. Their hands collided and because of the force, Mireya got pushed back, forcing her to replace her feet.  
But they were standing too close to the edge.  
Vinnie saw it happen. Time seemed to stop. Everything around him stopped moving. He saw how she stumbled back, how her feet stepped into nothing.  
Her hands tried to grab something, but there was nothing. There was only air.  
Her eyes grew big. Her mouth opened a little.  
Vinnie was already on his way, but he barely progressed. He tried to run as fast as possible, but it was as if his feet were stuck in quicksand. This was just like one of those goddamn nightmares. Only one small difference. This was real life. And he was about to lose his sister.  
Again.

He looked into her eyes, he could see the resignation. As if she was trying to tell him this was okay.  
But it wasn't okay.  
It wasn't okay, at all.  
But it did happen. Before Vinnie could blink, she was gone.  
Limburger was looking at her as she fell down.  
"Oh my…"  
"No!"  
Vinnie wasn't thinking. He just acted as he ran towards the edge and jumped after her. But he didn't came far. He felt a jerk on his tail, and instead of falling down, he banged against the building.  
His eyes followed her as she fell down. He could see her eyes were closed and she somehow had a peaceful look on her face.  
A loud crack when her body hit the ground, breaking every bone in her beautiful body.  
Vinnie's heart almost stopped.  
No.  
How was this even possible?  
Something clicked in his head and he couldn't stop the blood curdling scream that was burning in his throat, that forced its way out.

" _NOOOO!_ "

* * *

Oh my…

See? I told ya.  
Drama.  
No other words are needed.

Feel free to leave a review.  
Till next time and puhlease… don't hate me too much ;)


	57. Chapter 56

Hey you guys…

Thank you so much for the reviews.

So, I've decided that this is gonna be the last chapter of Breaking The Habit.  
It's crazy how much words and chapters this beast of a story has by now.  
And I've reached a point in the storyline that feels like a good time to close this book.  
But no worries.  
The story will continue in the follow up, which will be uploaded when the first chapter is ready.  
The good news is; I've already started.

So, let's do this. The last chapter.  
It's a sad chapter, but guess that's no surprise after what happened in the previous one.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **Chapter fifty six**

While the echoes of Vinnie's scream slowly faded, a silence dawned on the battlefield.  
The rats had made a hasty retreat when they saw what had happened, knowing this was a losing battle anyhow.  
The rest of the mice were just standing spread across the battlefield, all staring at the dead body of the white furred female that lay on the ground closeby the building.  
Carbine pulled off her helmet, her eyes wide open in shock.  
Death was a part of war. And it was horrible. Something you never fully got used to. But you accepted it in some way.  
But this one felt different. This one was even more devastating.  
 _They had failed…_  
The pain in Vinnie's scream had given her goosebumps. His raw voice still echoed in her head.  
Even if she didn't like him, this was something _nobody_ deserved. To see someone you love die like that, right in front of you, in this gruesome way...  
Jesus.  
Tears filled her eyes. And all she could do was just stand there. Just like the rest of the Freedom Fighters.  
They all just stood there, holding their helmets, a shocked and sad expression on their faces.

Meanwhile, at the top of the building, Stoker used all his strength to pull Throttle and Vinnie back on the roof.  
The moment Vinnie jumped over the edge, a last and desperate attempt to save his sister, Throttle had followed him without showing any hesitation. Stoker had been just in time to grab Throttle's tail, to avoid he was gonna lose two of his best students in one night.  
Two who were like son's to him.  
Throttle was still holding Vinnie's tail with all his strength, staring down in shock.  
Jesus, he couldn't believe that this had happened just now. His eardrums were still vibrating from Vinnie's scream, it was the most terrifying sound he'd ever heard.  
It was the sound of pure pain.  
The sound of heartbreak.  
The sound of someone who broke who was already broken.  
And he knew that the next few months were gonna be tough. Real tough.  
But he vowed to himself, right here and right now, that he was gonna be there for his younger bro.  
No matter what.  
No matter how many times he was gonna be pushed away, he would bounce back.  
Because this… this was all his fault. He'd made the wrong decision. He was their leader, he carried the responsibility to take care of his bro's. To make the right decisions, in their sake.  
He knew he'd made the wrong call. And telling himself that he'd done it to protect his younger bro, that he'd acted outta love, didn't change the fact that he'd made a mistake.  
A terrible mistake.  
The guilt was almost too much. It pressed on his chest, making breathing difficult.  
And he knew, he just knew, that he was never gonna be able to forgive himself for this.  
Never.

Vinnie's breathing came out in rapid breaths, his heart was racing in his chest and he could only stare at the white dot that was lying on the ground beneath him. Everything around it was blurry, but he could see her crystal clear. His whole body was shaking and he suddenly got overwhelmed with the urge to be with her.  
She was lying there, all alone.  
And he suddenly couldn't take it anymore.  
Without thinking, he whistled between his teeth and his bike roared in answer. The red racer jumped over the edge and Vinnie grabbed the handlebars when she was close. He felt that whoever was holding his tail let him go and he fired his jets to turn this freefall into a controlled landing.  
Before his bike completely stopped, he already jumped off and stumbled to his sister. But his legs didn't cooperate and he tripped a couple of times.  
When he finally reached her, he fell on his knees next to her, his eyes wide open.  
The sand under her body was already coloured black by her blood and her limbs were lying in a strange position. In some places the bones had pierced her skin and her beautiful white fur was now red, soaked with blood. Her head had burst open at the top, and one eye almost popped out of her eye socket.  
It was a gruesome sight. It was disgraceful what a landing after a fall of such height did to the body.

Vinnie leaned forward, he almost couldn't breathe.  
Why?  
For fuck sake, why?  
Why her?  
It was cruel what hope did to a person's, or in this case mouse's, mind.  
For years he'd lived under the assumption that she was dead. He almost had peace with it. Of course he missed her. But ten years was a long time.  
Some wounds may never completely heal, but they heal enough to make it liveable.  
Knowing for this short time that she was alive had almost erased the wounds. As if they just vanished.  
But losing her _again_ , even if he only had known that she was still alive for like three hours, was twice as painful.  
The old wounds suddenly came back, completely torn open and next to them, new wounds formed.  
It was devastating.  
Vinnie's antennas started to glow, a desperate attempt to connect with her, to feel her for one last time, but when he touched hers, darkness was all he saw.  
She was really gone this time.  
And it broke his heart. It broke his spirit.

Throttle and Stoker were still standing on the roof, staring down at the heartbreaking sight of Vinnie, who was trying to connect with his sister. They both knew that it was a lost cause. That she was gone. But they both didn't had the heart to go down and tell that to Vinnie.  
"Where's Limburger?", Throttle asked toneless, his eyes glued on the two white furred mice beneath him.  
"Gone. Probably used a portable transporter", Stoker answered, just as toneless.  
"Jesus, Stoke, this is…", Throttle started, but he couldn't talk further.  
Stoker lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"I know, Throttle, I know. But this ain't your fault, you hear me? I refuse to stand by and watch you carry the responsibility for what happened just now."  
"We should've told him…", Throttle whispered.  
"Maybe, but who knows what would've happened if we did?"  
"Perhaps she would still be alive now…"  
"We don't know that, Throttle. And we'll never know. I agree that keeping this from him was the wrong choice. But that doesn't mean we're responsible for her death. There's only one to blame here and that's Limburger."  
Deep down, Throttle knew his coach was right.  
But _knowing_ it and _believing_ it were two completely different things.  
Man. The perks of being the leader…

The sun slowly rose, warming up the planet Mars. Warming up the cold red sand.  
The warm, soft yellow light was almost soothing, as if the sun was trying to comfort them.  
To tell them it was gonna be okay.  
Carbine slowly awoke outta her trance and put on her helmet.  
"Throttle?", she whispered in the radio.  
"I'm here… You okay?"  
Hearing his husky voice almost made her burst into tears, but she pushed them back.  
"I eh… I don't know. You?"  
"Don't know either…"  
"We eh… I think we better get back to the base… before eh… ya know. Before some other enemy finds us here and right now, we're too vulnerable."  
"Yeah… I'll try to take Vinnie with me…"  
"Yeah…"  
A long silence.  
"Oh, and Throttle?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Let's bring Mireya home."  
Another silence.  
"Copy that."

"Vinnie?", Throttle said softly while kneeling down next to his broken little bro.  
But the white furred mouse didn't respond. He was just staring at Mireya's body, frozen like a statue.  
Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder, but still no response.  
"Vin, we need to go... "  
Nothing.  
"Vincent…"  
"We can't just leave her here", Vinnie said toneless, without looking up.  
"We'll take her with us. We'll take her home."  
No response. No movement.  
Nothing.  
"Can you ride?", Throttle asked, a little hesitant.  
He had never seen Vinnie like this before. It was as if he was in shock.  
He probably was, though.  
Dammit. The anger he could handle.  
But this… This was heartbreaking.  
Vinnie suddenly came into movement, gently scooping the broken body of his sister in his arms.  
He moved jerky, like a robot. He turned around to his bike and Throttle could now look him in the eye.  
And his heart stopped.  
His eyes were empty. Dead.  
Oh Modo's momma… this was bad, alright.  
Real bad.

 _Back on the base, a few hours earlier…  
_ "A medic! I need a medic!", Modo screamed with panic, stopping his bike with shrieking brakes.  
He lifted Rimfire from his bike, his fur soaked with blood.  
Rimfire's blood.  
Luckily, the Freedom Fighters were always good prepared and when a group left for a mission, there was always a medic team standing standby in the garage.  
Modo lay his nephew on the brancard that was already standing next to him.  
One of the doctors quickly examined the young mouse.  
"Get the OR ready, we've got a young mouse with a gun wound in the chest. He's losing a lot of blood, so make sure everything is ready for a transfusion", the black furred doctor ordered in the radio.  
He then looked at Modo.  
"You okay?", he asked when he saw the blood.  
"Don't worry about me, worry about him!", Modo answered shortly, using all his strength to stop his voice from breaking.  
The doctor nodded and the team took Rimfire with them to the infirmary, followed by a worried Modo.

Once at the infirmary, one of the nurses turned around and lay a hand on Modo's chest.  
"I'm sorry, this is as far as you can go. I need you to wait here."  
"Is he gonna be okay?", Modo asked, his eyes following the brancard with his nephew on it.  
He had to ask.  
"Right now, it's too soon to say. But do know this; we're gonna do everything we can to make sure he's gonna be okay."  
And she followed Rimfire and the team through the metal door that leaded to the OR.  
The door closed behind them, and with that, the silence was back, the peace was restored.  
Modo just stood there, staring at the sign _'Medical Staff Only!_ ' that was hanging on that awful door.  
Why make a metal door that leads to an OR?  
Why make a door that gives you the feeling that the one you loved walked into a slaughterhouse just now?  
And because of that stupid sign, there was nothing you could do to help him.  
To save him.  
Oh momma...  
This was exactly what he was so afraid of that would happen.  
His little nephew, badly injured, maybe even dying.  
He wished he had listened to his instinct instead of Throttle.  
But that was easy to say afterwards.  
Because he knew that if he had tried to stop Rimfire, the young mouse wouldn't have listened to him anyway. But still…  
He had a bad feeling about this mission. And it turned out his instinct was right.  
But what if he died?  
It suddenly hit him like a hammer. What if Rimfire would die?  
He was the only family he had left and likewise.  
He'd promised his sister on her deathbed that he would take care of Rimfire.  
What if he had broke that promise just now?

"Modo…"  
Her voice. The sound of Christmas bells.  
A warm hand on his arm.  
He turned around and looked into her brown eyes, which were magnified by her glasses, filled with worry.  
"Amira ma'am, I eh… I didn't saw you there…", he stumbled.  
"Are you okay?", she asked, looking at the blood on his clothes and fur.  
"This ain't my blood. It's... from Rimfire…"  
Amira breathed in sharply.  
"Oh no, Modo, what happened?"  
"He got shot, he tried to save my sorry tail, but we were outnumbered and…", Modo explained, but he suddenly couldn't talk further.  
His voice broke and Amira took him in her arms.  
"It's okay, you don't have to explain, I'm here…"  
Modo buried his nose in her hair while wrapping his arms around her.  
He wanted to stop, to pull back, to tell her he didn't want to ruin her clothes because of all the blood, but he couldn't.  
He needed her warm arms around his waist, he needed her scent in his nose, he needed her warmth.  
Her love.  
They just stood there for a while. But suddenly, a soft and breakable voice broke the silence.  
"Modo… where is he?"  
Modo looked up, straight into the pale face of Kiwi.  
Oh momma, he had almost forgotten about her because of what happened to his little nephew.  
But looking into her bloodshot, swollen eyes immediately brought it all back.  
"He's still out there… I left in a hurry with Rimfire… I have no idea what's going on there right now, I'm sorry, Kiwi ma'am… But he was okay when I left… I'm sure he's fine."  
Kiwi nodded, holding herself tightly and sniffed.  
"I'm sorry for what happened to Rimfire", she said softly.  
"Me too…", Modo answered dejectedly. "Me too…"

 _Present  
_ Kiwi was sitting next to Modo and Amira, waiting for some news. Rimfire was still in the OR, but there was nothing they could do.  
Nothing else but wait.  
The human girl was staring outta the window, watching the sunrise.  
Usually, that made her feel happy. Happy that the cold darkness was chased away by warm light.  
But not today. Certainly not today.  
She'd lost the one thing she couldn't live without.  
How in the world was she gonna be able to live her life?  
To live her life on this planet, being close to him and yet so far away at the same time…  
The answer was simple.  
She couldn't.

A group of bikes in the distance woke her outta her trance.  
"They're back!", and she jumped on her feet.  
She needed to see him. No matter what.  
Amira looked at Modo.  
"Why don't you go with her, to see if everybody's okay? I'll stay here and let you know the moment Rimfire comes outta the OR, okay?"  
Modo nodded, the waiting only made him more restless by the minute. Maybe he could make himself useful for a moment.  
Kiwi grabbed his hand and dragged him with her towards the garage.  
But when they walked inside, she stopped death in her tracks.  
Modo bumped into her and she almost fell forward, but he quickly grabbed her and set her back on her feet.  
Kiwi could only stare at her macho mouse, who slid off his bike with the motionless body of a female mouse in his arms.  
His snow white fur was red of her blood and the look on his face…  
Jesus…  
She put a hand in front of her mouth when she took a closer look at the body. It was brutally mutilated, but there was no doubt that it was his sister.  
Oh my god, what the hell had happened out there?  
Her heartbeat rose, nausea forced her to swallow over and over again.  
"Oh momma…", she heard Modo breathe.  
You can say that, alright.

Vinnie walked right past them, he didn't even see them.  
Throttle followed him, signing to Stoker and Carbine to stay behind, to take care of the rest of the group.  
When he reached Kiwi, he gently took her arm and guided her with him.  
Then, he looked at Modo but the gray furred giant shook his head.  
"Rimfire is still in the OR, I.. I want to be there when…", he stuttered, somehow feeling guilty that he couldn't be there for his younger bro right now.  
But Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's okay, big fella. Go. Rimfire needs ya. We'll keep an eye on Vinnie. Go."  
Modo hesitated for a moment, but then turned around and walked back to the infirmary while Throttle and Kiwi followed Vinnie.

Kiwi was glad that Throttle was holding her arm, otherwise she would've collapsed. She clung onto him, holding his arm as if it was a lifebuoy.  
She stared at Vinnie's back, at his black hoodie that was dirty and torn. So were his black biker jeans. His big ears were almost flat next to his head and his tail hung lifeless on the ground, as if he didn't had the strength to hold it up as he usually did.  
To carry it with pride.  
Oh, her poor, poor macho mouse.  
The things she would do to pull him in her arms…  
But she couldn't. Never again. Because he didn't want her anymore.  
The pain was too much. God, in just one day she was back in the darkness she'd tried to escape.  
The darkness that had forced her to take her own life.  
Tears already escaped her eyes again.  
She couldn't live without him.  
My god, she was nothing without him.

Vinnie stopped before a door and Throttle opened it for him, without saying a word.  
The white furred mouse walked inside the room and the door closed behind him.  
Throttle let out his breath and pulled Kiwi in his arms.  
"What's in that room?", Kiwi asked with a small voice, burying her nose into his fur.  
"The chapel", Throttle answered.  
That was the last thing Kiwi expected.  
"You have a chapel?"  
"Yeah… Once, Martian Mice believed that the sun was their keeper. Some sort of god, named Eguzkia. But the Plutarkians didn't only destroy our planet. They also wiped away our faith. We use the chapel so we can say goodbye to the ones we love. In peace. Maybe having the small hope that Eguzkia is still there, that this is all happening for a reason and that She's there to guide the souls to the light…", Throttle explained.  
There was a silence for a moment. Kiwi looked at Throttle and came to the conclusion that she had never seen him this dejected.  
Even his fur seemed to hang down in defeat.  
"What happened out there, Throttle?", she asked, her voice shaky.  
"We've _failed_ , that's what happened…"  
"This can't possibly be your fault, Throttle…", Kiwi answered flatly, letting him go.

Throttle sighed and slowly sank on the floor, while leaning against the wall.  
Kiwi took place next to him, taking his hand.  
They sat there for a while, both deep in their own thoughts, both caught up in their own pain.  
Kiwi suddenly realized something.  
She was heartbroken. Devastated.  
No words could describe how fucked up she was feeling right now.  
But she realized that she was, next to her own pain, still able to feel Vinnie's pain. Her heart skipped a beat.  
"Throttle?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Ehm… Say, hypothetical speaking, two mice connect outta love, but break up later on. What happens to the connection? Does that break too, or…?"  
Throttle glanced at her.  
Hypothetical speaking, huh?  
But he decided to just answer her question.  
"The connection breaks as soon as one of the two decides that it's over…"  
Kiwi's heart made a little jump.  
So, maybe hope wasn't lost after all.

Another silence.  
"Throttle?"  
"Yeah?"  
"What _really_ happened out there?"  
The tan furred mouse sighed.  
Yeah, what really happened?  
He let his mind wander back to that moment. Could they really have done more than they already did?  
He had no idea.  
"Limburger made us a proposal, Mireya would live if we'd surrender. Vinnie declined and with that, the time for talk was over. The rats attacked, we were outnumbered, but we still managed to gain grounds… Suddenly, Limburger stopped it, standing on the roof with Mireya… Vinnie tried to save her, but that failed… Stoker and me arrived shortly after Vinnie, the coach freeing Mireya in the process… I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it ended with Limburger pushing Mireya off the building… And there was nothing we could do to stop it…"  
He took off his glasses and rubbed his burning eyes. He could still hear Vinnie's scream in his head.  
Man…  
Kiwi, who was still holding his hand, stared at their entwined fingers, tears streaming down her face.  
"That doesn't sound like you've failed… That sounds a lot like Limburger killing a innocent girl…"  
Throttle put his glasses back on.  
"Man… I just wish we had told him, ya know? I keep thinking that maybe then, she would still be alive…"  
"We don't know that…"  
"Stoke said the same thing."  
"Wise man, that Stoker."  
But then, Kiwi sighed.  
"But yeah, we should've told him…"

She suddenly made a decision.  
She wasn't gonna give up on that mouse.  
Not now. Not ever.  
Yes, she made a terrible mistake.  
But they belonged together. And that's final.  
Their love had to be strong enough to survive this.  
So, she slowly rose on her feet.  
"I'm gonna go check if he's okay."  
She stopped and raised her eyebrows.  
"Okay, that just sounded stupid, alright. Of course he ain't okay. But… whatever, I'm gonna go check on him."  
Throttle followed her with his eyes, shaking his head. He knew that if there could be one person who was capable of getting through to Vinnie, it was Kiwi.  
He needed her. And he could only hope his younger bro was gonna realize that.  
Before it was too late.

The door closed behind her and Kiwi looked around her.  
The chapel was about the size of a average church on Earth. It actually looked the same too.  
Rows with wooden benches. A lot of candles.  
But instead of Jesus Christ hanging on the wall, there was a huge statue of a beautiful female mouse, looking down at a big stone table.  
On the table now lay Mireya.  
Vinnie sat on one of the benches in the front row, staring into space. He didn't look up when she came in.  
Kiwi swallowed and slowly approached him. She had no idea what to expect, no idea how he was gonna react if he would see her.  
Was he gonna reject her? Push her away? Be angry, as he always did when he was in pain?  
She had no idea.  
When she stopped in front of him, he still didn't look up. He just stared right through her.  
She kneeled in front of him and lay her hands on his knees.  
Still nothing.  
"Vinnie…", she whispered, her voice thick of emotion.  
He still stared right through her. His eyes, which normally glistened with vice, were empty.  
No spark. Not even of anger. No.  
Nothing.  
She noticed the sleeves of his black hoodie were rolled up and that the fur on his forearms was red of his sister's blood.  
She needed to clean that.  
Since she had no idea what to do with the lifeless mouse that was sitting in front of her, her brain forced her to do something practical.  
So, she looked around her and spotted a small bottle with the weird substance the mice used to clean their fur.  
Just what she needed right now.

With the bottle in her right hand and a towel in her left, she kneeled in front of him again and after a small hesitation, she gently took his hand.  
Still no reaction.  
While holding her breath, she took off his fingerless glove.  
Nothing. No movement. Nothing.  
His hand was just lying lifeless in hers.  
After taking off his other glove, she sprayed his fur with the contents of the bottle and used the towel to rub his fur.  
This stuff really was magical.  
After rubbing the same spot for only two times, his fur was white as snow again.  
She cleaned his fur with precision, secretly enjoying this moment, enjoying the fact that he let her touch him. So, she took her time.  
"She always teased me when we were kids, ya know. Always reminding me that she was the oldest, since she was born first", Vinnie suddenly said, his voice hoarse and toneless.  
Kiwi froze for a moment, but then decided to continue her work to give him space to talk.  
"She was bossy, always making the decisions for both of us, because she was older and therefore wiser. I hated it. Because she made me feel small. But at the same time, it gave me a safe feeling. Because there was always someone I could rely on, no matter what. She was always there for me…"  
Kiwi swallowed away her tears, focussing on the red spots in his fur.  
"When she went missing, I felt lonely like never before. She used to be by my side, always. And all of a sudden, she was gone. It took me a while to get used to that. To be on my own… But I've never really become good at it. To stand on my own feet. Guess that's why I'm so depended on Throttle."  
Kiwi was still cleaning his fur, tears streaming down her face again.  
Dammit, she hadn't cried like this in years.  
But she still said nothing. Somehow, she could sense she needed to just let him talk for now.  
It was the first time since she met him that he was talking this open about himself and his feelings.  
The first time he _really_ opened up.  
"She was my hero, ya know? Most boys look up at their father like that, but not me. I had my sister. My strong, self assured sister, who always got my back…"  
His voice broke a little and Kiwi looked up at him. But he was still staring into space, his eyes dry like a old leaf.  
No tears. No emotions. Nothing.  
"When Throttle told me she was alive and a prisoner at Limburger Tower, it felt like a second chance… That I was finally able to give back what she always had given me. Someone to rely on. I just wanted to be _her_ hero, just for this one time…"  
Now his voice broke.  
"I've let her down… Jesus, I… I've _failed_ her… And now I'm…I'm on my own again, and I can't… I can't do this alone..."  
Kiwi couldn't hold herself back anymore.  
She lay her hands against his cheeks and finally, _finally_ … he looked her in the eye.  
"Vinnie… my sweet, sweet Vinnie… You don't have to go through this alone… I'm here for you. To guide you. To stand by your side. To be the person you can rely on, always… Everybody needs help sometimes, love. And it's okay to not be okay all the time..."  
Vinnie slowly lifted his hand and wiped away a tear on her face.  
That small gesture, the tenderness behind it, broke her already broken heart. It made it shatter into a thousand pieces.  
"I'm so, _so_ sorry that I gave you the feeling you can't rely on me… I made a terrible mistake and I can't tell you how sorry I am… How much I regret that decision… I never meant to hurt you. But I did…", she sobbed.  
Tears filled his ruby red eyes. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers while weaving his fingers in her hair.  
"I love you. I love you so, _so_ much…", he whispered, a tear escaping his right eye.  
If Kiwi thought she was crying before, well… Hearing him say these words completely opened the locks.  
"I love you too… You're my everything… I'm nothing without you", she managed to bring out between sobs.  
Vinnie pulled her in his arms and they cried together in silence, holding on to each other.  
And it made their bond even stronger than it already was.  
And Kiwi now knew; their bond was unbreakable.  
Forever.  
They still had a long way to go.  
But as long as there was love, there was hope.

Meanwhile, Modo was pacing through the infirmary, feeling restless because there was still no news about his little nephew. And he almost couldn't take it anymore. But there was nothing he could do. Maybe that's why he was so restless. Because he felt completely powerless.  
A feeling he hated.  
Amira was following him with her eyes, having no idea what to do to help him. She suddenly realized she couldn't. She could only be there for him, so that he wasn't alone.  
Finally, just when Modo thought he was gonna lose it, the doors from the OR opened and the doctor came outside. He pulled off his mouth cap while walking towards Modo, a blank expression on his face. His operation clothing was smeared with blood, but Modo hardly noticed.  
"And?", the gray furred giant asked hopeful, but when he looked into the eyes of the doc, the floor slumped under his feet.  
No.  
No, no, no…  
"I'm sorry, we did the best we could, but he lost too much blood and the shot damaged too much... ", the doc said flatly, his ears drooped.  
Modo could only stare at him.  
"He died five minutes ago, Modo. I'm sorry…"

 _No._

He had just lost his one and only relative.  
He had just broken his promise to his sister.  
His legs became weak and he fell on his knees.  
His little nephew. His son…  
He buried his face in his hands, tears already escaping his one eye.  
Amira rushed over to him and dropped next to him.  
"Modo, I'm so sorry... ", she whispered while holding him.  
Modo's whole body shook of crying.  
This war… It had already taken away so much..  
His beloved, gray furred momma.  
The love of his life, Cami.  
And now, his little nephew Rimfire.  
How much was he gonna be able to take? When exactly was that point of no return?  
When would he collapse completely, to never stand up again?  
He had to admit, it felt as if this was the moment.  
He was past the point of no return.  
But warm arms around him and a soft voice called him back.  
And despite this overwhelming, devastating pain, caused by the loss of Rimfire, he knew that he couldn't give up.  
Not yet.  
There was still so much to fight for.  
His bro's.  
Kiwi.  
Stoker.  
Carbine.  
Amira…  
But not now.  
Now, all he could do was sit there and cry, while the pain slowly spread. And he let it in. He embraced it.  
Because he knew he was gonna need this pain to, in the end, get back on his feet.  
But not now.  
Certainly not now…

 _A few days later…  
_ "We're gathered today to say our final goodby to two very important and beloved mice. Their death was useless, unnecessary, a result of this devastating war, that has already cost us too much."  
Stoker's voice echoed against the big walls that surrounded the base.  
Everybody was gathered in the courtyard, sitting on chairs with their heads down. Sniffing sounds were clearly hearable, some of the mice were holding each other tightly, sorrow written upon their faces.  
Rimfire and Mireya were lying on two, with stones decorated, tables closeby the entrance of the base and Stoker was standing next to them, looking at the crowd with pain in his brown eyes.  
"Let us remember them as heroes, fallen while fighting for our home, for our planet. While fighting for freedom. Let Eguzkia guide them to the light, let Her take care of them, to make sure they'll get the peace they deserve."  
Vinnie gritted his teeth in pain, staring at the body of his sister and Kiwi grabbed his hand, letting him know she was there.  
That she was feeling his pain as if it was her own.  
And most important; to let him know that he wasn't alone.  
They were in the front row, with Modo and Amira sitting on Kiwi's left and Throttle and Carbine on Vinnie's right.  
The sun was shining down on them, somehow a little less warm than usual. As if it was trying to comfort them.  
But nothing could comfort them.  
Absolutely nothing. Not today.  
Stoker took a deep breath and shared a quick look with Throttle, who nodded back.  
"Let their bodies warm up and turn into ashes, so the wind can carry them to Eguzkia. Let them be free, serene and lighthearted. And may we meet them again in our future lives to come…"  
Stoker whistled between his teeth and two mice in the back, holding bow and arrow, rose on their feet.  
They both lit their arrow and spanned the bow aimed at the sky.  
"Illuminate them and set them free…", Stoker gave the order and the two mice fired.  
The arrows flew high in the sky, came down and one landed in Mireya's chest, the other one in Rimfire's.  
A huge blowpipe flame set both tables completely on fire and Kiwi couldn't help it but to look up startled.  
That was the last thing she'd expected, but then it dawned on her.  
Before the ceremony, Stoker had covered the stones around the bodies with a weird smelling liquid.  
Something that was combustible, she now knew.

Everybody rose on their feet, looking at the two bodies going up in flames.  
It was horrible.  
But beautiful.  
Because the wind indeed took the ashes with it, carrying it straight towards the sun.  
"They are free now…", she heard Amira mumble, to nobody in specific.  
Kiwi glanced at Vinnie, but he was staring at the flames, his thoughts miles away.  
As if he wasn't really here. Maybe he wasn't…  
The human girl softly squeezed his hand while looking back into the flames.  
And she knew, she just knew, this was only the beginning.  
She couldn't explain it. It was just a hunch. But she knew.  
Something was about to change.  
This was the beginning of a new era.

 _ **Epilogue**_

Stoker stared out the window, deep in thoughts.  
Six weeks had passed since that awful day. That deep black day.  
A day he would never forget and many with him.

Vinnie had barely spoken a word since that day. He was quiet, introvert and almost apathetic.  
In other words, nothing like the mouse he used to be.  
Even the anger was gone. There was only emptiness.  
At least he'd restored things with Kiwi. But even she wasn't capable of getting through to him.  
Not since that day in the chapel.

Modo was also more quiet than usual. He was blaming himself for what happened to Rimfire and nobody seemed to get through to him that it wasn't his fault.  
He maybe acted less down than Vinnie did, but Stoker knew the gray furred giant was a mess.  
Amira was standing by his side, every day.  
Stoker was glad she did.  
He needed her. A woman's touch.

Throttle tried to be there for his two broken bro's. But it was taking its toll.  
He felt powerless, he couldn't fix this and it made him restless, Stoker could tell.  
Besides, he still blamed himself for not telling Vinnie, having the unreal thought in his head that this was all his fault.

 _What a mess..._

Things had been quiet, the last six weeks.  
Limburger was nowhere to be found.  
The other Plutarkains also kept a low profile, so did the rats and the Sand Raiders.  
That made Stoker restless. As if it was a silence before the storm.  
"Carbine?"  
The light gray furred female looked up from her paperwork.  
"Yeah, Stoke?"  
"I think we need to chance our methods."  
Carbine looked confused at the coach his back, having no idea what he was talking about.  
"Our methods?"  
Stoker turned around, his brown eyes fuming.  
"Yeah. I think the whole 'good guy' thing ain't gonna cut it anymore."  
Carbine slowly lay her pen down, still looking at the brown furred mouse.  
"What are you saying?"  
"I'm saying, the time for trying to win this fucking war with chivalry is over."  
"I'm not sure if I follow ya…"  
"What's hard to follow? We're trying to be the good guys for a long time now. And look where it brought us. Almost the whole planet destroyed, we've lost more men than I can remember and now, two of the three best soldiers we have are outta order. I keep thinking; what if we had tried to hit back with the same force that they hit us with? How many lives could've been saved if we had just played hard ball?"  
"But you were the one who always taught us that being the bad guy…", Carbine started, but Stoker cut her off.  
"I _know_ what I've said. But I was wrong. If I had killed Limburger instead of using that shot to free Mireya's hands, she would've been alive as we speak. And that's just one example. I'm not saying we need to be the villain, we just need to… change our methods. Kill them, instead of trying to catch them for trial. Dammit, they are probably _laughing_ at us. But lemme tell ya one thing; they should be scared of us. And we're gonna make sure they are, alright."  
"Okay…", Carbine slowly said. But she could understand where he was coming from.  
"With that being said, I've decided what our next mission is gonna be."  
"And that is?"  
"If Limburger could find Mireya, who knows how many of us are still out there? She was missing for ten years! What are the odds that he was gonna find her, alive and kicking? There must be more of them. More of us. We're gonna search this entire planet, every square feet, and everybody who is on our way, well…"  
"Look, Stoke, if this is about Harley…", but Stoker slammed his fist on the table.  
"It's not just about Harley! It's about all of our people who are still out there, suffering! It's time we're gonna claim back what's ours. And that is our home. Our people. And we're gonna make sure that the Plutarkians will leave this planet, and I don't care if they are dead or alive when they do. But the time for being polite is over. From now on, we strike back. _Hard_. And we are gonna win this war. No matter what!"

" _Past the point of no return  
_ _No backward glances  
_ _The games we've played till now are at an end_

 _Past all thought of if or when  
_ _No use resisting  
_ _The final threshold_

 _What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn  
_ _Beyond the point of no return?"_

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

Aaaaaand… CUT!

That's a wrap for this one.  
And man, it's been one hell of a ride writing it.  
Even if the story ain't perfect, I'm still really proud of it.  
The funny thing is that I planned on doing all the episodes from the original series, but all of a sudden, my imagination just took over and it slowly became my own storyline.  
Funny how these things work.  
Maybe I'm still gonna use parts of episodes in the next story, it's also fun to give it my own twist.  
Ah well, we'll see.

But one thing is for sure; I couldn't have done it without you guys.  
So, thanks for your support.  
Thanks for taking this ride with me.  
I hope I can welcome you all back at the follow up.  
That would mean the world to me.

Feel free to leave a review, always very much appreciated.  
And keep your eyes open on the site for the next story, called;  
 **Lost In The Echo**

Ride free, citizens!


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